The Priestess and the Fool
by TheLambchop
Summary: A collection of shorts about Persona 5 protagonist Akira Kurusu and Makoto Niijima set during the events of the game. Am writing these to try and soothe the pain of finishing Persona 5, but sharing them here on the off chance someone else enjoys them. Expect a weird update schedule.
1. Stalking

_Author's Note:_

 _Haven't long finished Persona 5 and I'm just not ready to say goodbye to the characters yet. So I'm just doing some short little tidbits to try and soothe the pain of when you finish a fantastic game. I've got a couple of other ideas floating around that I really want to do, so this might go upwards of 5 chapters. Tt goes without saying it's going to be Akira/Makoto focused but the others will be here, don't worry._

 _There were other chapters I wanted to do more than this one, but I couldn't bring myself to do it out of chronological order and I did want to do this scene in some form. Ended up enjoying myself with it, so I'm happy with how it turned out, I think._

 _Anyway, hope you enjoy._

* * *

"You see her, right?" Came the muffled voice from his bag. Akira glanced down, looking into the big blue eyes of Morgana.

"Huh? You mean Niijima-senpai?" Akira asked.

"Yes, her." Morgana said. Akira turned his eyes away from the cat and threw a quick look behind him. He was working his way down the central street of Shibuya, heading toward the convenience store to pick up some snacks for him and Morgana when he spotted her. Makoto Niijima, the student council president of Shujin Academy. Normally, it wouldn't be too unusual to spot a student of Shujin around Shibuya, with it being a popular hangout spot for students. However, what Niijima was doing was far from "hanging out." Holding a manga up to her face, probably in some attempt to blend in, she was blatantly following Akira around the city, attempting to stealthily keep tabs on his activities and trying to catch him in the act of "Phantom Thiefing." Or so he suspected, he couldn't imagine what else she would be doing.

Right now, she was barely 10 meters behind him, awkwardly navigating the crowd of people whilst holding her manga up to her face.

"So, what do you think?" Morgana asked.

"About what?" Akira replied, blinking back to attention.

"The student council president?" Morgana asked again, clear impatience in his tone.

"Oh, yeah. She's cute, right?" Akira asked. Morgana let out an exasperated noise.

"That isn't important right now!" Morgana hissed.

Akira glanced back again and saw Niijima peaking over the top of her manga. The moment he made eye contact with her, she ducked her head back down.

"Yet somehow, it _feels_ important." Akira muttered. Morgana sighed to himself.

"Just don't do anything suspicious when she's watching us. She's trying to figure out if we're Phantom Thieves after all. So don't go to Iwai-san's shop and definitely don't call a meeting, got it?" Morgana said. Akira nodded.

"Alright. I should probably stop talking to the cat in my bag if I'm trying not to draw suspicion, right?" Akira asked. Morgana hissed at him again.

"Lets just grab the snacks and get home, I want to watch the end of the Running Dead." Morgana said. Akira got to the entrance of the convenience store. One glance back confirmed that Niijima was still following them, but was now trying to stay out of sight by the entrance of the movie theater.

"Mhm, one stop after this though." Akira said. Morgana looked up at him, his eyes curious.

"Sure, where?" He asked.

"The diner."

"But we'll be eating when we get home. Or are you going to study?" Morgana asked.

"Something better." Akira grinned to himself. Morgana tilted his head in confusion.

"Can't we just go home?" He asked, clearly wanting to get home to the Running Dead to see if they'll ever make it off the farm.

"Morgana, this is a prime opportunity to connect to my senpai, as part of my honest student life. You cannot take it away from me." Akira grinned. Morgana frowned again and said no more as Akira entered the convenience store.

* * *

Makoto looked up from behind the pages of the manga. Her target, Akira Kurusu, was just leaving the convenience store after spending only a few minutes in there. She'd considered following him in to make sure he wasn't meeting anyone inside, but decided against it. She'd almost certainly be caught if she got that close. She was sure he'd seen her earlier when their eyes locked, but he must not have been paying attention.

"Alright, resume operation." She muttered to herself. Holding the manga in front of her face, she began to follow Akira again from what she had determined to be the perfect distance to not be noticed. Honestly, she surprised even herself at how good she was at this sleuthing business. She'd been tasked by her school principal on finding information about the Phantom Thieves. An utterly ridiculous request for the student council president of all things, but he hadn't exactly left her a lot of room to negotiate. With no other leads to go on, she decided to look into the ones who had been seen having an altercation with Kamoshida not too long before his change of heart. It felt wrong, spying on her fellow students like this, but the Principal had made it very clear what was at stake…. And besides, how could she say no to such an authority figure? The memory caused her to wince, but all negative thoughts were rushed away when she saw Akira entering the diner.

 _Damn, he could be meeting anyone in there. Could Sakamoto or Takamaki have slipped in when I was watching the store?_ She thought to herself. There was nothing else for it, she'd have to go in and keep an eye on him. With a tentative look around, Makoto made her way to the diner's entrance, ascending the stairs and pushing her way through the glass door. She winced as the little bell that signaled a new customer went off, hoping the noise wouldn't cause Akira to look over. Makoto quickly scanned the area, trying to locate her target. The diner wasn't exactly empty, but it wasn't packed either. It would mean there'd be room to sit, but it was far more likely that she'd stand out more.

 _No… I have to push on. If he really is meeting with the others, then I could get the information I need right now and put an end to this._ She thought to herself. _An end to the Phantom Thieves… It's for the best, right?_

She run her eyes over the diner again.

 _There!_

His black, curly mop of hair was unmissable, especially in this small diner. He was currently sitting at a table with a book out on the desk, but was currently writing on what looked like a small piece of paper. It looked like he hadn't ordered yet.

 _Could he be waiting for the others to arrive then?_ Makoto thought. Realising she'd been standing there staring, she pulled up her manga to her face and walked quickly, finding a table where she was behind Akira and he wouldn't directly be looking at her. It was a surprisingly fortunate position. From the corner of her eye, she saw a lone waitress rushing around, the poor overworked girl no doubt trying to get everyone's orders. With no other choice but to wait, Makoto pulled her manga up to her face and watched Akira.

5 minutes pass.

10 minutes. No sign of the others. Makoto chided herself for being impatient. She had to be diligent, the sooner something showed up, the sooner she'd be allowed to return to her studies.

The waitress finally went to Akira, giving him an apologetic smile as she brought out her notepad. Makoto saw Akira look at the waitress, no doubt giving his order. To her surprise, the waitress suddenly looked over at her, then back to Akira. She nodded her head with a sly little smile on her face, jotted something down on the notepad, accepted the money from Akira, then walked away. Makoto's heart began to race as she ducked behind the pages of her manga. Was he on to her? What if the waitress was an accomplice!

 _No… No calm down, it's probably a coincidence. She just happened to look over here… Maybe she even recognised the manga I'm reading?_ Makoto assured herself. Besides, they were in public, even if they did try anything, what could they do? Makoto steadied her breathing, focusing on stopping the thumping of her heart.

 _Even if he IS a member of The Phantom Thieves… They don't hurt people. Would I really be in danger?_ Makoto thought to herself. Shaking her head, she shouldn't be thinking of such things, she cautiously raised her head above the pages again, seeing if Akira had moved at-

He was gone. Makoto placed the manga on the table and stood up slightly, resting her hands on the table. Maybe he'd gone to the bathroom? If she got up to look around now and he came back, there'd be no way he wouldn't notice her. Wait, _there!_ The unmistakable black mop of hair was visible behind the glass door of the diner, disappearing down the stairs very quickly. Makoto grabbed the manga and made to leave in a rush, before she was suddenly stopped by the waitress, who stood in her way and placed a drink on the table.

"There you go, Miss!" The waitress chirped, a big, goofy grin on her face.

"I-I'm sorry, but I didn't order anything." Makoto said, eager to push past and chase her quarry but not wanting to be rude to the waitress.

"Oh, I know. It's from that kind gentleman at the table there-" The waitress pointed at where Akira had been sitting, only now seeming to notice he'd left.

"He must've run away in embarrassment, how cute!" The waitress exclaimed before continuing on, "He also left a note with the drink too. Enjoy, it was his treat." Makoto's mouth was agape as the waitress scurried off. She looked at the drink, it was a tall, fruity drink that came with a silly looking straw. It looked pricey. Beside it on the table was a lone piece of paper. With slight hesitation, Makoto picked up the note, flipping it around to read.

 _Hiding behind books_

 _The lone beauty stalks her prey_

 _Did I steal your heart?_

"A… Haiku…?" Makoto whispered to herself. At the bottom of the note was a terrible attempt at the Top hat and mask logo that was on the Phantom Thieves calling cards.

"What." Makoto stared at the note in sheer disbelief. Before she knew it, she could feel her cheeks burning red in embarrassment. Either from the fact he'd clearly known she was following him the whole time, the fact that he had saw it fit to pull something like this and mess with her, or simply from the audacious implication in the message of _why_ exactly she was following him. Crumpling the note up and shoving it in her back, she had decided it might come in handy as evidence later, even if it didn't actually prove anything, Makoto stood up in a huff and stormed out of the diner.

* * *

"That was a pretty risky move, Akira. Are you sure that was a smart decision, giving the person who suspects you of being a Phantom Thief something like that?" Morgana asked. Akira shrugged it off.

"Everyone in our school has seen the calling cards. It doesn't prove anything." He said. Morgana let out a concerned "hmmm."

"You do realise this will only make her more determined to try and catch you?" Morgana asked. Akira let out a slight laugh.

"I'm not going to complain about getting to see more of her." Akira smirked.

"Take this seriously!" He snapped. Akira gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Morgana. I really am taking this seriously, I'll be sure to to stay extra vigilant and not do anything suspicious if I even slightly suspect she's watching." Akira swore, a hand over his heart. Morgana nodded, happy at the response, and crawled back into the bag. Akira looked at the sky, his confident smirk fading.

 _Besides. She looked so damn stressed out. Student Council President, Honor student, she's probably working herself to the bone as it is. Whoever put her up to this is a real asshole._ Akira thought to himself.

 _I just hope I could help her lighten up, even a little._

With that thought, Akira pulled his bag tighter and started making his way down to the subway.

* * *

Makoto clung tightly to her bag as she stomped through the streets of Shibuya, not even bothering to hold her manga to her face.

 _What's the point, he's probably long gone by now_ she thought to herself. She let out a frustrated sigh. Why did she have to deal with this? Why didn't she just have the courage to tell the Principal no?

Giving up, Makoto decided to make her way home. On a whim, she pulled out the note Akira had left her and read through it again, looking at the terrible little drawing at the bottom. He was bound to know why she was tailing him, what she suspected him of. The audacity of it was unbelievable, giving her a note like this, and a haiku of all things. A normal person would be way too embarrassed to do something so ridiculous. Yet, despite herself, despite her embarrassment over being caught and anger she felt toward the Principal, she felt a small smile form on her lips.


	2. Arcade

_If you keep reading my works, you'll be seeing me say this a lot, but this one ended up bigger than expected. I had fun with it though, I think. I've got like, 3 more chapter ideas in my head I feel compelled to do, though I'm also seriously considering doing the Hawaii trip, which would probably put me at like another 6, as there's so much potential there. Anyway, enjoy your reading._

* * *

"An arcade, huh? I've never actually been to one." Makoto said, furrowing her brow in thought. Akira watched her quietly, assuming his usual stance of a slight slouch with his hands nestled in his pockets.

"I'm not sure it'll broaden my horizons, per se, but simply studying won't get me anywhere." She said, her face relaxing as she seemed to warm up to the idea. Akira nodded silently in reply.

"So, do you think you could take me? I'd be completely lost if I went there by myself." Makoto said. Akira bowed his head. She'd already changed quite a bit since awakening her Persona and changing Kaneshiro's heart. The girl who had been following him around the city just a few weeks ago would never have admitted to a weakness, no matter how small, that easily.

"Of course. Do you want to go right now?" Akira asked. Classes had finished about fifteen minutes ago and everyone was heading home. Akira himself would've likely been at the train station right now if Makoto hadn't been waiting for him outside his class and asked him to talk in private.

"Yes, that sounds great." Makoto said, shooting him a beaming smile. Akira couldn't help but find it infectious, a small smile forming on his own lips. Makoto turned and began walking toward the main building, eager to be off. Akira, after hanging back a few seconds, followed closely behind.

* * *

As they rode the tightly packed subway to Shibuya, Akira mulled over Makoto's request in his mind. She had pulled him aside and stated her request simply, she felt out of touch with the student body, the group she as student council president is supposed to be representing, and wanted his help in better connecting and understanding with them. As someone who has spent so much of her life focused on her studies and as of recently, student council duties, she just felt a disconnect from them, something she felt was hammered home hard during the incident with Kamoshida.

Akira felt for her, though deep down he doubted he could really do much to help her. Not that she was a lost cause, or anything, he just wouldn't exactly describe himself as "in touch" with the student body. He'd always been a bit of a loner back in his hometown, and since he'd moved here, well… He didn't exactly "mesh" well with the rest. But all she had asked of him today was where do people go for fun, and that, he felt like he could answer at least.

Plus, quite frankly, he wanted to get to know her. They hadn't exactly gotten off to the best start, but everything they went through in Kaneshiro's palace had quelled any animosity between her and the rest of the thieves. The amount of ass she kicked there probably helped, too.

"S-sorry, Akira-kun. It's… So busy today." Makoto said, trying to reposition herself so that her head wasn't pushed against his chest.

"It can't be helped." He reassured. Makoto still looked awkward.

"Good job I left Morgana at home today, eh? He'd have been a catcake by now." Akira said, gesturing to his bag that was being squished into the wall behind him. Makoto rolled her eyes at the awful attempt at a pun.

"That joke didn't really work like you thought it would…" She muttered. Akira grinned to himself, satisfied by his own humour.

 _Now arriving at, Shibuya._

Akira looked up as the voice blared over the intercom.

"That's our stop." Akira said. Makoto nodded, joining Akira as they pushed their way through the mass of bodies.

* * *

A short walk later, Akira and Makoto entered the arcade in Shibuya Central Street together. Makoto looked around wide eyed, as if she had entered some alien place.

"So this is the arcade… I've passed here so many times, but it honestly never crossed my mind to come in." Makoto said. She cast her eyes over the students, most of them wearing Shujin uniforms, chatting and playing games.

"There are more girls here than I thought there'd be." Makoto murmured. Akira smiled to himself.

"You really are out of touch aren't you?" He said in a light, playful tone. Makoto scowled at him.

"Don't tease me like that!" She quickly snapped. Akira felt a tiny stab of guilt. He knew she hated being teased, but he couldn't help himself.

"Alright, I'm sorry. So, Miss President, what attraction in this fine establishment catches your keen eye?" Akira said theatrically. Makoto hummed to herself, looking over the various games available.

"I'm honestly not sure what most of them do. Wait, what's this one?" Makoto asked, walking up to a light gun arcade game and reading the game's name out.

"Domicile of the Dead 2…"

"That's a light gun game. You take the gun from the holster there and point it at the screen, then shoot the enemies." Akira explained. Makoto pulled one of the plastic guns out of the cabinet's holster and looked it over.

"That's… Surprisingly realistic." Makoto murmured to herself.

"So, wanna give it a go?" Akira asked. Makoto looked up from the gun at him, seeming slightly apprehensive.

"Okay… There's two guns, so that means you can have two players right? Will you play it with me?" She asked. Akira smiled and nodded.

"Okay. As Miss President's Bodyguard and escort, it wouldn't do to let my skill with a gun get rusty now, would it?" Akira quipped. Makoto rolled her eyes, but this time he did get a small chuckle from her.

Akira walked beside her, pulling out a gun of his own. They each inserted a coin and began playing the game.

15 minutes later, they ended up dying to the second boss. Makoto seemed eager to keep going but Akira had decided that was a good place to leave it. They'd ended up attracting a small crowd due to Makoto's… Spirited play style. Between the woops of joy when they beat the first boss, her cries of terror when an enemy managed to damage her, and the fact she seemed to sway her body as she was shooting in an attempt to dodge attacks, she was quite a spectacle. To preserve her dignity more than anything, Akira had decided it was best to stop, as much as he enjoyed watching it.

They walked away from the machine, coming to a stop near the entrance. Makoto's eyes were closed and she was smiling happily to herself.

"I didn't think it would get so… Intense." Makoto said. Akira still couldn't keep the smile from his face.

"Yeah, you were uh… Really into it, weren't you?" Akira said. Makoto nodded her head slightly.

"Mhm. It was certainly fun." Makoto said. The smile faded from her face slightly as she pulled out her phone and checked the time.

"I was going to go over some Asian history tonight… I guess we sho-" She began to say.

"How about we try another game or two first?" Akira interjected. Makoto looked up at him.

"But…" Makoto began. Akira pondered making a joke about how history wasn't exactly going anywhere. Whilst it no doubt would have been one of his finer works, he could see it in her eyes, she was genuinely stressing over this. Despite herself, the pressures put on her by her sister still weighed down on her and demanded she go home and study, even if she herself wanted to stay.

"Makoto. It's okay." Akira said. Makoto looked up at him and smiled gently.

"Hmm, you've never called me Makoto before." Makoto smiled. Akira glanced aside and began twirling a stray lock of hair.

"Huh. I guess you're right..." He replied.

"S-so! What other games would you recommend, Akira-kun?" Akira was pulled back to attention and glanced around the arcade. From where they were standing, at least half if not more of the games available to them were hidden. Gesturing for her to follow, Akira took off, walking for no more than 10 seconds before he saw something that made him grin. _Why hadn't I thought of this?_ He chided himself.

"What have you seen?" Makoto asked. Akira pointed right at the back of the arcade. A motor bike game, controlled by replica Motorbikes you can sit on and ride. Makoto blinked in surprise.

"Is that what I think it is?" She asked. Akira looked at her and patted her shoulder.

"Indeed it is. So, how about it?" Akira asked. Makoto's eyes seemed to sparkle with childlike wonder. She looked at him and nodded her head enthusiastically.

* * *

"I can't believe you got the third best lap time in the entire arcade." Akira said, still in shock. Makoto had transformed before his very eyes, from giddy excitement to a grim determination, the moment the race begun. It was like she was riding Johanna again.

"I-It was nothing, seriously!" Makoto said. Akira shook his head.

"It seems even in video games you drive with reckless abandon." Akira said. Makoto bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Oh, come on…" She pouted. Akira smiled and apologized.

"I'm glad you had fun though. So, what do you think, horizons broadened at all?" Akira asked. Makoto put her hand on her chin and hummed in thought.

"I can certainly see why people like to spend time here. I also feel like the games here could help me in the Metaverse, especially the shooting practice." Makoto said. Akira nodded in agreement.

 _Bling_

Akira felt his phone go off and reached into his pocket. It was a text from Ryuji.

 _Yo, man. Wanna head to Ogikubo? I'm so hungry. Plus we gotta catch up, that Kaneshiro stuff has kept us real busy. I'm in Shibuya now._

Akira quickly text back.

 _Sure. Can it wait about twenty minutes though? I'm a bit busy._ Send.

"Do you need to go do something?" Makoto asked.

"It's Ryuji, wants to go get some ramen. Told him I'd be about twenty minutes." Akira said.

 _Bling_

 _Sure. You on a daaaate?_ Akira read the reply and smirked, quickly replying.

 _Na, dude. Bodyguarding the president._ Send. Akira looked back at Makoto.

"Sounds nice. Well then, shall we be off?" Makoto asked. Akira wasn't sure, but there was a very faint hint of disappointment in her voice.

"I'll walk you to your platform." Akira said.

A short walk later the pair was waiting on the train, due to arrive any minute.

"Got any idea where you want to go next?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded.

"Kind of. You went to the red light district when you were after Kaneshiro, right? I'd like to go there." Makoto said. Akira liked to think of himself as fairly unflappable. Even he couldn't do anything but gawk in surprise and stare at her. Makoto immediately carried on.

"N-No! Not, not for my own purposes. I received a report that a Shujin student, a girl, so not you or Sakamoto-kun, was spotted there. I'd like to go confirm this for myself. Do you think you can come with me?" She asked. Akira nodded straight away. He'd have helped her regardless of the location, but there was no way he was letting her go around that seedy shit hole on her own.

"Of course. Just let me know when you're free next, we'll head over." Akira said. The sound of Makoto's train approaching could now be heard.

"Thank you." Makoto said, glancing at the oncoming train.

"I had a really nice time. Thank you for coming with me." Makoto said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Anytime. I enjoyed myself as well." Akira said. Honestly, he had. The train pulled to a stop and the doors opened.

"I'll see you tomorrow in school then, I guess." Makoto smiled. Akira nodded.

"Text me when you get home safely, okay?" Akira requested. Makoto nodded.

"I will. Enjoy yourself with Sakamoto-kun." With that, Makoto entered the train. Akira stood there for a minute, watching the train disappear into the distance, before exhaling heavily through his nose, turning on his heel, and pulling his phone out to call Ryuji.

* * *

Just under an hour later, Akira was tucking into his ramen with Ryuji. He was always partial to ramen, but the food here was something else. He could never thank Ryuji enough for bringing him here.

"I say it everytime, but God damn this is worth the journey." Ryuji laughed. Akira had to agree.

"So, you were out with Makoto then? How'd that go?" Ryuji asked. Akira explained their trip to the arcade to him, leaving out the parts about Makoto's enthusiastic game tendencies, mostly for her sake. Ryuji grinned when he told him about the motor bike game.

"Man, wish I could'a seen it." Ryuji said, slurping at the broth.

 _Bling_

Akira's hand shot into his pocket instantly, pulling out the phone and reading the text.

 _I'm home._

Makoto...

Akira let out a small sigh of relief. It had been a distracting thought at the back of his mind, even though he'd been enjoying himself with Ryuji. His recent experiences these last few months had left him with very little trust left. His run in with Kaneshiro and his goons, knowing what they'd threatened to do to Makoto and her sister if the debt wasn't paid back, destroyed the rest. Kaneshiro was dealt with now, but it didn't help much. When he saw Ann off at the train station the other day, he'd felt a similar sense of dread. He knew the two girls could handle themselves… But still… Knowing the kinds of shady people out there...

"That Makoto?" Ryuji asked. Akira nodded.

"Yeah. She got home safe." Akira said. Ryuji nodded and finished slurping the rest of his ramen.

"Thought you seemed a bit distracted 'bout something. Don't think you'll ever need to worry with her though, dude. That chick kicks ass." Ryuji laughed. Akira nodded, the last bit of tension leaving his body.

"So, you like her then, eh?" Ryuji asked with a grin. Akira frowned slightly, but was still smiling.

"I thought you were supposed to be bad at reading people." Akira said.

"Bro, I saw the way you were looking at her after she joined the group, especially in the Palace." Ryuji said. Akira exhaled sharply out of his nose. He wasn't at all embarrassed that Ryuji has figured him out. He just didn't like the fact he'd been such an easy read.

"As soon as it comes to girls, you're suddenly an expert, eh? I'm honestly not surprised." Akira chuckled.

"Come on, who else am I gonna talk about chicks with? Mishima? Yusuke? You can't take this away from me." Ryuji said. Akira finished his own ramen and began to text Makoto back.

 _Good. Enjoy the rest of your night._ Send

"So, what's your game plan?" Ryuji asked.

"Eh? What do you mean, I never confirmed anything." Akira smirked. Ryuji protested this, pestering him for more details. His phone buzzed again and he read the text.

 _You too, Akira. Again, thank you so much for today. I can't wait to do it again._

Akira smiled deeply, not his usual small smirk, but a full on beaming grin. Suddenly remembering who was there, his eyes darted to Ryuji, who had a massive, shit-eating grin on his face.

"Shut up." Akira said.

"Dude, I didn't say anything."

* * *

Makoto placed her phone down on the dining room table and turned to the kitchen, looking to warm up dinner for herself. She couldn't remember the last time she felt in such a good mood. _Who knew the arcade could have such a positive effect on your mental state?_ She thought to herself. As she opened the fridge to start rustling around, she heard the sound of Sae's bedroom door opening and footsteps coming to the dining room.

"Hi, Sis, I'm home." Makoto said, turning around. Sae's face was stern, yet she still looked quite awkward.

"You were out much later than usual. You okay?" Sae asked. Makoto nodded. There was still an air of tension between them ever since… Ever since _that_ incident.

"Don't make a habit of it. You can't fall behind on your studies." Sae said. Makoto nodded again.

"S-sure, Sis." Makoto said quietly.

"I'm only here to pick up some clean clothes. They're working me to the bone there. This Kaneshiro incident has really been a massive hassle." Sae sighed. Makoto felt a stab of guilt, as if she was responsible. Technically, she was responsible. But still, Kaneshiro needed to go down.

"Okay…" Makoto said. Sae looked as if she was going to say something else for a moment, then walked away. Makoto suddenly decided she wasn't very hungry. Sae left five minutes later, with a fairly weak "goodbye", not even looking at Makoto. The younger Niijima sister grabbed her phone from the table went into her room, turned her desk light on and pulled out her history books. Studying would help clear her mind and focus her.

She opened the textbook and flipped to the relevant chapter, opening her notebook and readying herself to take some notes.

 _As you are now, you're useless to me_

Makoto shook her head. She had to forget it. She'd found her place to belong, and she knew to them she truly was useful. Back to studying.

 _All you do is eat away at my life._

Makoto winced and turned to a different chapter, maybe starting there would help?

Nearly an hour had passed and she had written precisely two lines of notes. What was wrong with her?

 _That's a silly question_ She thought to herself _I know exactly what's bothering me…_

Makoto stood up and let out a deep sigh, walking toward her bed and letting herself fall face down on it.

 _Bling_

Her phone buzzed. It was Akira.

"He sent a picture?" She asked herself. She clicked the text.

It was a picture of Morgana, asleep on a chair, sitting in what looked like a poor imitation of a human, with his paws resting on his belly. It looked like he'd been watching TV and fallen asleep. There was a caption with the picture.

"We should save this for blackmail purposes."

Makoto stared at the picture, before bursting out laughing. It wasn't even that funny, she thought to herself, but before she knew it, tears of mirth were in her eyes. Not just the image, but the mental picture of Akira, grinning his self satisfied grin he had when he thought he was being hilarious, just seemed to tickle her.

 _Bling_

Another text. Makoto wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye and read it, still letting out small giggles.

 _I'm home safe by the way. So is Ryuji._ Makoto smiled to herself.

 _Good. I'm glad._ Send. Makoto looked over at her desk, to her abandoned textbooks. A single night off wouldn't be the end of the world…

 _Bling_

Another reply.

 _Well, I'll leave you to your studies. Goodnight._ Makoto typed out her reply quickly, but bit her lip. She didn't know why, but sending this made her feel… apprehensive? Well, what did it matter.

 _I'm taking the night off studying. If you'd like, want to keep texting?_ Send.

 _Bling_ The reply was within the minute.

 _Yeah. I'd like that._ Akira replied. Makoto let out a small sigh of relief.

 _Bling_ Makoto opened the text.

 _So, what does Miss President do for fun in her own home, then?_ Akira asked. Makoto let out a small chuckle, and began to reply.

Before she knew it, hours had passed. It had gone way past the point where she'd usually sleep. A strict sleeping schedule was key to academic success after all, or so Sis had told her. Besides, she had to get up early, she didn't want to be half asleep the next day. She wished Akira a goodnight and placed her phone on her desk. For the first time in a long while, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	3. Mementos

_Author's note:_

 _Alright. This one may have gotten a little out of hand. I considered splitting it into two chapters, but honestly there wasn't really any good "cliffhanger" points. Plus I wouldn't have really had a chance to upload the next part for a few days, so here's a big ole chapter for you all. As I'd stated before, you'll see me saying it a lot but, yeah, this one got a bit bigger than expected._

 _Anyway, enjoy._

* * *

Makoto pulled out her phone and checked the time, humming impatiently. She stood at the entrance to a dark alley way, located on the Central Street of Shibuya, awaiting the arrival of Akira. A few days ago, it had occurred to Makoto that Akira kept turning up with new gear and weapons for the team, along with the medicine and other supplies they'd need, yet had never explained to her where he got them.

" _A replica gun store in Shibuya?" Makoto had said in shock, repeating back what Akira had just told her after she had asked him where exactly he was buying the gear._

" _Yeah, his name is Iwai. I go in and do odd jobs for him, he lets me buy replica guns and new armour, along with weapons. As for the medicine, there's a local doctor not too far from Leblanc, I get supplies from her." Akira had said._

Upon hearing this, Makoto had decided she wanted to come with him to the shop. The reasons for this were varied. One, she wanted to help Akira out, carrying that stuff back home must have been difficult, and he was already so busy. Two, she was genuinely curious what this shop would look like and what other items they might sell. Three, she wanted to place a custom order. Her current pair of caestus style weapons had become worn from Kaneshiro's Palace alone, not to mention their trip to Mementos afterwards. Now, with them about to properly begin the infiltration of Futaba's palace in just a few days, she needed a new pair. If she was lucky, they'd be ready by the time they sent the calling card.

Makoto sighed and began to tap her foot impatiently. Granted, he was only 15 minutes late, but she'd come here straight from school and had been here for 25 minutes already. Deciding against texting him, she didn't want to seem too pushy, Makoto put her phone away and started watching the crowd of people. There were a lot of Shujin students about, a group heading into Big Bang Burger, two friends entering the diner… A boy and a girl going into the arcade together. Seeing that made her smile to herself. It had been well over a month since she and Akira and gone there together, but the memory was still making her smile.

They'd grown significantly closer lately, her and Akira.

 _I mean, we're even posing as a couple now._ Makoto thought to herself. Granted, it was on her request, and purely so she could get closer to Eiko and make sure her boyfriend wasn't bad news. Akira had gone along with plan, more than willing to help her out whenever asked. He played the part of the dutiful boyfriend well, she had to admit. But they weren't just meeting up for that reason either. He'd been helping her "broaden her horizons" as she liked to put it. A trip to a nice nature park, a meal at Ryuji's most beloved ramen place. They'd even gone back to the arcade and managed to get up to the fourth boss of Domicile of the Dead 2. Though perhaps the most memorable day was when they spent an entire Sunday Dome Town, just the two of them, going on thrilling rides, playing the stall games and just enjoying the atmosphere. On that day she even pointed out to Akira it was like they were on a real date. He'd only smiled in response, but it was a gentle smile… different than his usual smirk.

But, if her sister was there to meet her when she got home late, it would always be the same. The disapproving look, the still awkward silence. Sae didn't want her focusing on anything but her studies. To Sae, nothing was more important than achieving and moving ahead, and Makoto knew that her sister was judging her for staying out with a friend when she should've been working to not be a burden for her sister.

 _You're useless to me…._

 _All you do is eat away at my life…_

Makoto shook her head, forcing the memory away. She'd found her place to belong. It didn't matter anymore.

So caught up in her reverie, taking gentle steps forward as she did so, Makoto didn't notice the figure walking ahead with their head down until they had already bumped into her. Makoto let out a short yelp, managing to not go flying off her feet. She turned around, already apologising profusely, before she saw a girl she recognised.

"O-oh, Natsume-san?" Makoto asked. The girl in question looked up at her. Her mouth was open in surprise, but that wasn't what had caught Makoto off guard, it was the fact her eyes were red and her make-up was smudged. She had obviously been crying.

"Niijima-san? I-I'm sorry I bumped into you! I'm so sorry!" The girl cried. Kanade Natsume, a third year student and a girl in Makoto's class. Makoto had talked to her pretty often, and she had occasionally helped the Student Council with paper work when they'd been overloaded. She was all around a nice, somewhat quiet girl.

"Natsume-san? What's wrong?" Makoto asked, placing her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders.

"I-It's nothing, Niijima-san. P-please, don't let me keep you." Natsume replied, turning her face away in a vain effort to hide the obvious signs of her crying.

"Natsume-san, please. I'm the student council president. I'm not asking because I have too, I want too. Please, what's upset you? You're safe with me… You can tell me." Makoto said, making her voice as soothing as possible. Natsume looked around nervously.

"W-well… Not here… Please…" Natsume whispered. Makoto nodded.

"We'll go to the diner then." Makoto said. She locked her arm into Natsume's, reaching into her bag and pulling out a packet of tissues, handing them to Natsume. As the girl took one, she replaced the packet and pulled out her phone.

* * *

Akira cursed to himself as he got off the train. At this rate he was going to be just under an hour late. He had had to rush home to get the money he'd need to pay Iwai, as he didn't feel safe carrying it around with him without explicit reason. He had gotten held up at Leblanc with Morgana suggesting maybe he get an early night of sleep instead, and by the time he got away, he had missed the train back. Finally free from the crushing press of bodies, he pulled his phone out, intending to call Makoto and apologise profusely before he got there. Unsurprisingly, he had a text from her.

"Uh oh." Akira mumbled to himself. He opened the text, expecting to be chewed out, but all he got was.

 _May be late. In the diner with a girl from Shujin._ Akira frowned. He wasn't too sure of any friends Makoto had other than the fellow thieves that she'd go out to the diner with. There was Eiko, but it's likely she'd have just said "Eiko" instead of a Shujin girl. He simply shrugged to himself, deciding he'd get the answers when he saw her.

Akira finally arrived in Central Street, making his way toward the designated meeting spot. To his surprise, Makoto was there waiting for him.

"Hello." Akira said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hello, Akira. You're late." Makoto said, but Akira noted she didn't really sound annoyed,

"Blame Morgana. He likes me well rested." Akira snickered. Makoto shook her head, but still smiled slightly. She was becoming used to his more whimsical nature.

"So, shall we head to Iwai's? You can tell me about the girl when he's grabbing our orders. That's if it's not confidential girl business, of course." Akira grinned. To his surprise, instead of her usual eye roll with a smile, Makoto's face dropped.

"Makoto? What's wrong?" He asked. Makoto looked up at him, her downtrodden face quickly being replaced with steely determination.

"Cancel the Iwai plan for now, Akira. We need to go to Mementos." She said.

"Er, what?"

Less than ten minutes later, Akira was looking around the entrance to Mementos, pulling his gloves on tighter as he did, a habit he was rather fond of.

As usual, he felt far more comfortable in his Thief garb than his civilian clothes, though he was quite reluctant to admit it to the others. He glanced back at Makoto, who was adjusting her metal Caestus weapons.

"Give me the rundown, one more time." Akira asked. Makoto had rushed him here so quickly he hadn't really processed it all properly. Makoto began walking forward.

"Kanade Natsume." Makoto said, and once again recounted the conversation she had had with the girl.

* * *

" _I'm going to get fired." Natsume had cried, burying her head in her arms, which were resting on one of the many tables in the diner._

" _Why is that?" Makoto asked._

" _M-my co-worker… He… He keeps trying to talk to me about inappropriate things…" Natsume whispered. Makoto nodded, waiting for her to continue._

" _E-Every now and then, he'll p-pinch me too, like… If I'm stacking lower s-shelves..." Natsume said. Makoto nodded again, her features contorting in disgust._

" _So how are you going to get fired?" Makoto asked._

" _Well… A week ago.. I was in the supply room… And he cornered me. H-he c-called me a tease and… Said I shouldn't lead him along, and I should make up for constantly distracting him so often…" Natsume said. Makoto began to clench her fists._

" _What did you do?" She asked._

" _I-I pushed passed him, I was so scared. He tripped over a box and h-hit his head… He got up, he was so angry but I was already back in the shop." She said._

" _I thought he was going to tell the manager then… But he didn't…" She said. Makoto stayed silent. She guessed this wasn't a good thing._

" _H-he… He text me that night. He said he'd saved a copy of the CCTV footage of me pushing him… He said if I… If I didn't spend the night at his… He'd show it to the manager… And get me fired… Even press charges… If… If I didn't let him "d-do it" by the end of the week..." She whispered. Makoto clenched her teeth. So, today then?_

" _But you didn't do anything! It was self defence!" Makoto cried. Natsume just stared at the table._

" _I've seen… CCTV footage before. It's always so unclear what's happening… And his head is still cut…" She said._

" _Can you not just quit your job then? Isn't that preferable to the blackmail? My sister is a prosecutor, I can get you legal advice an-" Makoto was interrupted._

" _I can't lose that job! M-my little sister… She's so very ill. We can barely afford to keep our house and pay for food, yet alone her medical bills! Without the money from this job… We'll… We'll…" Natsume covered her face, trying to stop herself from sobbing again. Makoto looked down at her clenched hands. Her knuckles had turned white._

" _If I lose this job… I'll be nothing but a burden. I'll be useless to my family. If I can't even do this for them, then what good am I?" Natsume cried. Makoto's eyes widened at her words._

 _Useless…_

 _Burden..._

" _Today was the deadline?" Makoto asked. Natsume nodded._

" _Kanade-chan… Look at me…" Makoto said, as gently as she could. Kanade looked up at her as requested._

" _I need you to tell me this guys full name. Do you know it?" Makoto asked. Natsume nodded._

" _Y-yes… It's… It's Nimura Kashiwagi." She said. Makoto nodded, mentally repeating the name, over and over._

" _Why do you ask…?" Natsume asked. Makoto shook her head._

" _When is your shift?" Makoto asked. Natsume pulled out her phone and checked the time._

" _In half an hour. If I'm going to get there… I need to… I need to leave now." Natsume said, choking up. Makoto took the girl's hands._

" _Kanade-chan, listen to me. Go to your job. Work your day as normal. Everything is going to fix itself, got it?" Makoto said, pure conviction in her voice. Natsume looked at her blankly._

" _How can you know that?" Natsume asked. Makoto smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring fashion._

" _I'm the student council president, aren't I? I just need you to trust me, Natsume, and whatever you do, don't take his offer. Got it?" Makoto asked. Natsume nodded once. Makoto stood up from the table._

" _Come on, we should go. I'll give you my number okay, you call me after your shift ends." Makoto said. With that, the pair began to leave the diner._

* * *

Akira hummed to himself, mulling over the story.

"So, we didn't exactly have time to gather the crew up then?" He asked. Makoto nodded.

"We don't know when he's going to report Kanade to the manager. We might not even have an hour. I sent out a text to all the others immediately, but none of them were in Shibuya. I'm sorry Akira, but we don't have time." Makoto said. Akira rubbed the back of his head.

"Doing this without Mona… Not just because of the car, but without his scanning abilities… This is going to be tricky, Queen." Akira said. Makoto looked back at him, eyes stern.

"I know that. But what choice do we have but to try?" She implored. Akira nodded.

"I'm with you there. But do you have a plan on how to locate him?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded and pulled out her phone.

"The other day, I asked Mona about the fact that, the deeper into Mementos we went, the darker the distortions of the people tended to be. The more complicated and twisted. He said he was surprised I'd noticed and confirmed that, yes, the more disturbed and powerful the desire, the deeper they dwell. Our target, though his desire is sick, it isn't complicated. It's base… It's… Vulgar." Makoto spat.

"He shouldn't be too deep in. On top of that, we have the App." Makoto pointed to her phone.

"What about it?" Akira asked.

"Mona can sense specifically what area a shadow we're hunting is in. The App, which leads us to our target's Palaces, can do that with much more precision if the right information is entered. Do you see where I'm going with this?" She asked.

"So, you're thinking entering just his name into the App, along with saying Mementos I guess, should be able to detect him?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded.

"That's the theory." Makoto said. She opened up the Meta Nav and spoke the target's name.

"Target is in Qimranut." Was all the app replied. Makoto looked over at Akira.

"That's this section. So it shouldn't be too far. But without Mona, it's going to take a while to explore. Not to mention, even if they're weak, the Shadows here can still stall us if it's just the two of us." Makoto folded her arms.

"I've noticed that weaker shadows, especially in these early sections, avoided us the last time we were here. Did you catch that?" Makoto asked. Akira hummed to himself, the nodded.

"Yeah… Now that you mention it… But still. We'll show caution." Akira said. Makoto nodded.

"Of course, and well, as for the transport problem…" Makoto said. Her hand went to her mask, a small smile on her face.

"Johanna!" She cried. In a blinding flash, her Persona, Johanna, appeared. Makoto sat atop motorbike looking being, her hands on the handlebars, revving them for extra effect.

"So, you going to get on?" She asked. Akira grinned to himself.

"Your Persona, huh?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded.

"Did the idea not occur to you?" She asked.

"Believe me, I've had this idea since the moment I first saw you ride this thing." Akira laughed, walking forward. Makoto glanced aside, slightly embarrassed.

"W-well, hurry up, we need to go!" Makoto said. Akira hopped on the back of the bike, snaking his arms around Makoto's waist.

"A-are you sure that's necessary?" Makoto asked, flustered.

"With the way you drive? Yes, I think it's very necessary." Akira said. With an embarrassed "hmph" Makoto sped forward, into the winding tunnels of Mementos.

* * *

They must've been here for nearly half hour now, Akira thought to himself. Not that he was complaining. Riding on the back of Johanna was a much more thrilling experience than being inside the Morganamobile. Makoto was very thorough in her search. With no way to know if the target was specifically on this floor, they had to make sure they didn't miss him.

"We've passed here before." Makoto said. Akira looked around at the scenery. To the untrained eye, it all looked the same, twisting tunnels, wrought iron rail tracks. But Akira had been here enough times now to know what to pay attention to, a different formation of gravel on the ground, a certain pattern in the tracks.

"So we have," he began, "there's only two sections in Qimranut. We've already found the stairs here, let's move on, he's got to be on the second floor." Akira said. He had suspected as much, honestly. He wasn't anywhere near Morgana's level of sensory ability, but he hadn't sensed any particularly strong shadows in this area. But Makoto wanted to be thorough. This wasn't something they could afford to mess up, he understood that. .

"Alright, let's go." Makoto gunned it, weaving between the shadows that were running away from the crazed driver, no doubt following the mental map in her head. It didn't take them long to find the stairs, which they worked their way down quickly, not a word exchanged between them. Akira didn't mind, it was a comfortable silence. They were both here on the job, after all. But despite that, there was something niggling at him. Something about what she'd said when recounting Natsume's story.

 _She said…. She said she'd be useless to her family, if she was fired. That she'd be a burden._ Makoto had said. He'd noticed the words seemed to catch in her throat as she said them. It wasn't a surprise, he knew she had her own issues regarding her self-worth. It was her desire to prove herself own usefulness that caused her to charge into Kaneshiro's den, after all.

But… What had actually made her like that? What had happened that had spurred her into action that day?

"Let's go, Johanna!" Makoto shouted, re-summoning her Persona. She looked back at Akira expectantly.

"Joker?" She said. Akira shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

"Coming." He jumped on the back of Johanna, once again wrapping his arms around her waist. This time, she didn't react bashfully. She was far too focused on the mission. Again, they sped through the winding halls of Mementos, looking for the circular vortex like wall that indicated a particularly distorted shadow was near.

" _I'm not…"_

Akira thought back to the day Makoto had charged Kaneshiro's base. When she'd approached them at their hideout and decided she was going to get them their meeting with Kaneshiro. Ann had said that when it came to what the Phantom Thieves do, Makoto was useless. Yusuke had agreed, too. He didn't judge them for saying it, at the time she was, but it was clearly not what she had wanted to hear.

" _I'm not…"_ She had muttered to herself. Even then, Akira had guessed she wasn't saying that in reply to Ann or Yusuke. She had someone else in mind. But who…?

"M- Queen." Akira said.

"What is it?" Makoto asked.

"Who told you you were useless?" Akira asked, simply. Johanna slowed to an almost instant stop.

"W-what?" Makoto asked, looking back at him. Akira unwrapped his arms from around her so he could meet her gaze.

"Who told you you were useless?" Akira asked again. Makoto stared at him for a moment, before looking away.

"I don't know what you mean." Makoto said weakly.

"The day you let Kaneshiro's men take you to his lair. Before you charged off, when Ann and Yusuke had called you useless… It clearly hit a nerve. Not only that, you mentioned it afterwards as well, that you just wanted to be useful to someone. This wasn't just because of the incident with Kamoshida and what Ann said, was it? What happened?" Akira asked, keeping his tone measured.

"N-now isn't the time to talk about this, Joker!" Makoto said. Akira gritted his teeth. She wasn't wrong.

"You're right…" He said. Makoto turned away and revved up Johanna, taking off once again, but not quite at the break neck speed they were going before.

"You'll tell me later though, won't you?" He asked. Makoto bowed her head, clearly considering her answer.

"I…" She began. She never finished the thought, though, as they turned a corner and came across a giant swirling vortex where a wall should've been.

"A major distortion. This is probably it." Akira said. Makoto nodded in agreement.

"So… You ready?" Makoto asked. Akira nodded.

"Let's do it."

Makoto revved Johanna, before shooting forward, straight into the distorted vortex,

* * *

They came out on the other side, Makoto skidding to a break. Akira jumped off the bike, with Makoto making it dissipate shortly afterwards. They were in a large, empty chamber. Behind them was a vortex, an exact mirror to the one they just came through. Ahead of them was a passage that seemed endless, with twisted, red pulsing metal threads that almost looked like veins disappearing into the chasm. At the centre of the room, stood a lone man.

"Think it's him, Joker?" Makoto asked.

"Gotta be." He replied. Makoto nodded, and together the pair went forward. They approached the man, who barely looked up at them.

"Nimura Kashiwagi?" Makoto asked.

"Piss off." The shadow said.

"What do you know, he's an ass." Akira sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes. What you're doing to Natsume, you need to stop, right now!" Makoto shouted. The mention of the name Natsume grabbed his attention.

"Ooooh? You're here cause of that little bitch?" The shadow asked.

"You're going to admit to what you did to her. Your harassment, your blackmail, you're going to delete that CCTV footage, quit your job at that place and then never go near her again!" Makoto shouted.

"Huh? What do you care what happens to her? Some useless girl like her, what does it matter if I have some fun with her? Besides, getting with me, wouldn't that give her some sort of purpose? At least she'd have amounted to something then!" Nimura cackled. Makoto's fists clenched and she took a menacing step forward. Nimura's shadow continued.

"Don't you realise getting involved with her is useless? By the time tonight is over, she'll be ruined anyway, one way or another if you get what I mean!" The shadow said, a sick, twisted grin on his face. Makoto looked over at Akira, somewhat hopeful.

"That means he hasn't shown the manager the footage yet. He must've been hoping she'd cave in at the end." Makoto said. Despite the fact that this worked in their favour, Makoto was clearly disgusted as she said the words.

"Don't you think on some level she wants this? Why else would she be enticing me, the way she bends over to stack those shelves… The way she'd stand so close to me at the tills…" Nimura said, licking his lips.

"Your own sick delusions don't give you the right to try and control others. When reality doesn't match up with your own warped view of it, you don't get to try and twist things around to suit you." Akira said, stepping forward and pulling out his gun.

"Joker…" Makoto said, looking at him.

"If you won't relent, then it's up to us to stop you. Nimura Kashiwagi, for the sake of Natsume-san, we'll change your heart!" Akira shouted. Nimura's shadow exploded into violent black flames at Akira's threat, assuming it's true shadow self. The shadow before them was a pathetic looking black slime, it's face distorted so it almost looked in pain.

"Suitably pathetic," Makoto spat. "He really doesn't seem that powerful." Makoto finished.

"I'll… I'll show you _PATHETIC!"_ The shadow shouted. A swirl of ice formed above it's head, shooting straight at Makoto, who easily dodged it. Makoto pulled out her revolver, joining Akira who already had his own gun out, and laid down a barrage of bullets.

"Guaaaaaagh!" The shadow wailed it's large, podgy form not agile enough to dodge. The slimy body compressed in on itself, the bullets inside it popping out, then launched itself like a spring at the pair in a desperate attempt to attack. Makoto and Akira leapt aside. Joker's hand went to his mask, ripping it off.

"Isis!" He shouted, the Persona materialising before him.

"Ravage them!" He cried. Isis placed her hands together, a small blaze appearing between them, before launching it toward Nimura. The flames hit it's body and the creature immediately ignited.

"STOOOOP! STOOOOP! I'LL DIEEEE!" It screamed. Akira clicked his fingers and Isis vanished. He glanced at Makoto.

"Pathetic, huh? You weren't wrong, he fell so easily." Akira said. Makoto said nothing and walked up to Nimura, who had once again reverted to a human shape.

"I… I… Thought she liked me…" He sobbed. Makoto's mouth fell open in shock.

"So you thought you'd blackmail her into sleeping with you?!" Makoto shouted.

"She… I didn't think she'd turn me down…." He sobbed.

"She made such a fool of me… Girls are always making a fool of me… Why do they never want me? It's all their fault! They've left me no choice! This loneliness… This disgust, I had to make it go away, no matter what!" Nimura shouted.

"It's no excuse. It's no justification," Akira said.

"If you want others to like you, if you want to be accepted, if you want someone to love you… You've got to change yourself. You've got to better yourself. What you've tried to do to Natsume-san, it's made you a hideous monster, a monster that could never feel nor give love." Akira spat. The Shadow Nimura wailed on the floor.

"B-but… She's so useless! She's called herself useless! I could give her meaning! A burden like her… Could never change! She needs me to help her!" He cried. Akira glanced at Makoto, who was staring at the shadow wide eyed.

"Someone's worth is not for you to judge. It isn't for anyone but the individual themselves to decide. Their worth is not defined by what they can't do in a situation they couldn't possibly have control in." Akira said. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Makoto looking at him intently. He had to choose his words carefully.

"No more than a hatchling bird can't leave its nest and fly before it has grown its feathers, a person can't be held accountable for actions they haven't taken in a time when those actions are impossible." Akira said. He gritted his teeth slightly.

"W-what can I do? H-how can I make it right?" He wept. Makoto looked away from Akira and back at the creature.

"Destroy the CCTV footage. Quit your job. Get on your knees and beg for Kanade's forgiveness. You'll do this tonight." Makoto said.

"And… And that… Will that redeem me?" He begged. Makoto looked aside. She didn't have an answer.

"What you've tried to do… Can someone like you ever be redeemed?" Akira said, more to himself than Nimura. The answer made Nimura wail.

"B-b-but…!" He began. Akira cut him off.

"There is no "end point" in redemption. It's a path that must be constantly walked. To live each day, making amends for what you've done. How you do that? That's for you, and you only to decide." Akira said, approaching Nimura.

"Nimura Kashiwagi, the warped desire in your heart… I've stolen it. Return to yourself, and begin your long journey." Akira said. Nimura's Shadow vanished in one final sob. A shining object remained where the shadow had once been. Akira snatched the treasure and held it up to Makoto.

"A girl's… Hair scrunchy?" Makoto asked, observing it.

"I wonder… A gift from a girl perhaps?" Akira asked.

"A gift…It probably made him feel wanted. Maybe he wanted to try and capture that feeling again, but he never could?" Makoto asked. Akira sighed.

"Who knows… Anyway, we should go." Akira said. Makoto nodded, moving to the vortex distortion with him.

* * *

As they exited back into the winding tunnels of Mementos, it was immediately obvious the paths had changed again.

"Damn it. That's unfortunate timing." Akira grunted. Makoto was staring at the floor.

"Queen? Are you okay?" Akira asked.

"What you said… About worth. About not being defined by the circumstances we find ourselves trapped in. About… How a hatchling that has yet to grow its feathers can't be blamed for not flying..." Makoto said.

"Y-yeah. Kind of cheesy, huh?" Akira laughed. Makoto looked up at him.

"You weren't talking about Natsume, were you?" She asked. Akira glanced aside.

"What do you mean?" Akira asked.

"Have you already figured it out? The answer to the question you asked?" Makoto asked. Akira looked aside.

"Your sister…" Akira said. Makoto nodded.

"She…" Makoto swallowed hard. Akira could tell this was painful for her.

"Mak- Queen, you don't have to do this now. You don't have to do this ever if you don't want too." Akira said. Makoto shook her head.

"No… it's…" Makoto began.

"My sister. Sae. She… Ever since Dad died, Sae has been the one looking after me. She's bought my food, bought my clothes, given me a roof over my head." Makoto began. She reached up to her face, removing her mask.

"I told you my dad died three years ago, right?" Makoto asked. Akira nodded.

"He was a police officer. A dedicated one at that. He was specifically chasing underground rings that would blackmail and coerce teenage girls into prostitution. I… I think because of me and Sis, he felt particularly compelled to fight this cause." Makoto said. Akira walked to the wall behind them, at some point the vortex had dissipated and returned to being a normal wall, and sat down. He looked ahead and didn't see a single shadow. As far as Mementos goes, this was as quiet a spot as any. Akira motioned for Makoto to sit next to him, which she did.

"He was never home much… And Sis was so busy with College too… I was pretty lonely…" Makoto said.

"Your Mother?" Akira asked.

"She passed away when I was really young… So it was just the three of us." Makoto said. Akira glanced aside.

 _This Goddamn world… Is so fucking cruel._

"I'm sorry." Akira said. Makoto shook her head.

"You don't have to apologise. Besides, the loneliness wasn't so bad. I was too proud of him to really be bothered by it. He was fighting the unjust, helping to save the girls who had been forced into a living hell." Makoto sighed.

"One day, when we were eating dinner, he got a call. It was from his partner. He'd tracked down what he was sure was one of the gang's hideouts. He rushed off in an instant. He told me he loved me… He told me… He told me he'd be home by tomorrow..." Makoto said, covering her hand with her mouth. Akira took her free hand in one of his.

"It's okay… You can stop if you need to." Akira said. Makoto shook her head.

"He… He didn't come home. Ever again." Makoto whispered.

"In the dead of night, a truck hit him. He was dead in an instant, or so I was told." Makoto said.

"But at the funeral, I overheard my sister talking with my father's supervisor. He said that the autopsy on the driver had found drugs in his system. It was very likely that the gang had led my father there, leaving a false trail for the police to find, and assassinated him." Makoto said. Akira felt Makoto's fingers interlock with his and tighten.

"It was… It was because of his peerless sense of justice that he was killed. But his death led to major action from the police force… Most of the gangs were swept up and caught… But many got away. Including the gang that ordered a hit on my father…" Makoto said.

"Do you know his name? The gang leader? We co-" Akira began. Makoto shook his head.

"We never got a name. Whoever they were, they've vanished into the shadows now." Makoto said. A silence fell between them.

"He was a noble man…" Akira said, and he meant it. Makoto looked at him and smiled gently.

"I'm glad you think so… I agree." Makoto said.

"So… Your sister?" Akira asked. Makoto winced.

"She… I asked her…. I asked her if she thought Dad would've agreed with the Phantom Thieves if he was still alive…" Makoto said. The memory was clearly painful for her.

"She… She said she didn't care. She said the only reason I have time to think about such things is because I depend on her… That she had no such time to consider such foolish things because she's so busy taking care of me." Makoto took a deep breath.

"She said I was useless to her. That all I did right now was eat away at her life." Makoto said.

Akira looked down, shocked at what he was hearing.

"I… Don't know what to say." Akira said. He unlocked his hand from Makoto's and stood up.

"You don't have to say anything." Makoto said, standing up next to him.

"You didn't deserve that… You didn't deserve a word of that." Akira said, turning to face her. Makoto glanced aside.

"So that's why… With Kaneshiro?" Akira asked. Makoto looked at him and nodded once.

"But… it's okay now." Makoto said with a smile. Akira waited for her to continue.

"Because I've found my place to belong. With the Phantom Thieves… With the others…" Makoto said. She looked down shyly, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

"And with you… Akira." She said. Akira took a step toward her and smiled.

"Huh… I don't know what to say to that." Akira chuckled weakly. Makoto looked aside, embarrassed.

"D-don't acknowledge it!" She stuttered. She looked back at him, but still shyly avoided locking eyes with him.

"I've never told anyone about my father before." Makoto said.

"It's such a painful memory to look back on… But discussing it with you felt okay. It feels like a weight has been lifted from me." Makoto continued.

"S-so… You've… Never told me about you, either." Makoto said. Akira smiled.

"It's… Well, let's just say it's nothing compared to what you've been through." Akira said.

"I still want to know. You were put on probation because of an assault charge, weren't you? I know you, Akira, you'd never attack someone without a completely justified reason." Makoto said. Akira shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah… well.." Akira looked at her. A few seconds of staring into those eyes of hers, eyes so full of honest emotion… It wouldn't be fair to hide this from her.

"I, er… Didn't even attack him at all." Akira said.

"What?" Makoto asked.

Akira went on to explain what had happened that night. The woman crying out for help. The drunken man trying to force her into a car. How he'd approached to intervene, knowing in his heart he couldn't stand by at this woman was injured or far, far worse.

"He… He was drunk. You could smell it on his breath, even from where I was standing. He just… Tripped over himself and smacked his head. But it didn't matter… I'd dared to speak against him, and that was all he needed. As far as he was concerned, it was my fault." Akira said.

"What about the woman?!" Makoto implored. Akira glanced aside.

"She… Whoever that guy was, he must have some serious swing. He threatened her, told her to tell the cops when they arrived that I'd approached without reason and assaulted him. She… Well, as you can guess, she caved. The cops arrived and greeted the man as if they already knew him. He told them his lies, I told them the truth. The woman sided with him." Akira said.

"That's.. That's!" Makoto said, her lips pulled back over her teeth in anger.

"It's fine." Akira mumbled, not even convincing himself.

"What about your parents?" Makoto asked.

"Didn't they fight your side? Why did they send you away, they didn't believe that man's story too, did they?" Makoto asked. Akira pulled awkwardly at his gloves.

"I don't really think they cared. I've never really been close with them, I guess. They're going through a divorce right now… I just don't think they wanted to deal with it. Besides… When I was arrested, they didn't visit me, not once. Not until the verdict." Akira said. Makoto looked him, appalled.

"That's why you were sent here? To get you out of their hair?" Makoto asked. Akira shrugged.

"They didn't really say much. My mother dropped me off at the station and told me to not cause trouble for Sakura-san and… Well, that was it." He said.

"Your father?" Makoto asked.

"Haven't seen him since I was found guilty." Akira said. Makoto looked away.

"That's… horrible." Makoto whispered.

"Hey, it's small time compared to what you've been through." Akira said. Makoto shook her head.

"I don't believe that. There's no way I could have kept going through such injustice, through that level of betrayal from someone you tried to help… I swear, if I ever find that woman, I'm going to _make_ her admit her lies." Makoto growled. Akira placed a hand on Makoto's upper arm.

"I'm not even sure I blame her. She was obviously terrified of that man. So terrified she'd lie for him even after what he'd tried to do to her. To be that afraid, well…" Akira said.

"You're too kind, Aki- Joker." Makoto said. Akira shook his head.

"I-" He didn't get to finish his thought before Makoto rushed toward him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head into his chest. Akira placed his hand on the back of her head and run his fingers through her hair, placing the other arm around her lower back. They didn't say anything, they didn't need words right now.

Akira had lost track of the time by the time Makoto partially broke the embrace, their hands interlocking as she stepped back. She looked down at the ground shyly.

"Y-you know… If Eiko saw us now… I-It would be really hard to deny that we're dating… huh?" Makoto asked with a nervous laugh.

"I think if Eiko saw us now we'd have a harder time explaining the whole, Mementos, Phantom Thief thing." Akira smirked. Makoto let out a small giggle, looking directly at Akira.

Those piercing eyes… A brown so deep they were almost red… He felt them meet his. He couldn't look away from them. He didn't want too. He felt himself leaning forward. Her eyes widened, then closed slightly. She didn't turn away.

"Akira…" Makoto whispered.

 _Clang clang_

The two of them immediately snapped to attention, letting go of each other's hands.

"What was that?" Makoto asked. Akira narrowed his eyes.

 _Clang clang_ It sounded like the shaking of metal chains.

It came again, louder now, but only ever so slightly.

"Queen, summon Johanna." Akira said.

"W-what? Why?" Makoto asked.

"Just do it!" He said. Makoto nodded, summoning the Persona.

"Mona mentioned something the first time we came here… That if we spent too long on any one floor, something would appear… Something sinister." Akira said.

 _How did I forget that? Fool. What a damn foolish mistake._

"What is it, do you think?" Makoto asked. Akira ran to her, jumping on the back of the bike.

"A guess? A shadow of immense power. Mona said to listen out for the chains, that's the sign we've stayed too long. Now, gun it, if it catches us here we're cornered." Akira said. Makoto nodded, and with no hesitation, sped off. As Makoto whizzed through the halls, Akira pulled out his gun, readying himself for a battle. There's no way they'd fall here because of a lapse in judgement from him. Not when he still had so much he wanted to say to Makoto.

"There! The stairs!" Makoto cried out. She skidded to a stop and jumped off the bike, Akira following quickly after.

 _Clang clang CLANG_

The last whip of the chain sounded like it had happened only a meter in front of him.

"Up, go go go!" Akira shouted. Makoto turned and bolted up the stairs, Akira following shortly afterwards. He felt a rush of air behind him, and turned just in time to see a cloaked being appear, wrapped in chains and wielding two huge guns. Guns he pointed at Akira.

" _Faster!"_ He yelled. Makoto looked back and let out a yell of shock upon seeing the Shadow, and began to take the stairs three at a time. Before they knew it they were on the floor above, panting for breath.

"W-we made it…" Akira wheezed. Makoto nodded.

"W-what the hell was that?" Makoto asked.

"I don't know… I'll have to ask Mona again later. It certainly looked like a shadow… But the aura it gave off… I've never felt anything like it." Akira said. Makoto peered cautiously down the stairs.

"Is it not gonna chase us?" She asked. Akira glanced back as well.

"I don't think so. Mona said it will chase you out of a floor, if it doesn't kill you first." Akira said, finally getting his breath back.

"That would've been embarrassing though, huh? Getting killed because we were getting all mushy and took too long." Akira laughed. Makoto pushed his shoulder in a playful manner.

"You are way too relaxed about almost dying." Makoto sighed. Akira merely grinned.

"Comes with the being a Phantom Thief, I suppose." Akira said. Makoto shook her head and smiled. A silence fell between them again.

"S-so… Before we had to run… You were…" Makoto began. Akira, who had been walking away, turned back to look at her.

"Did you say something?" Akira asked. Makoto shook her head and looked away.

"N-no… Nothing… Come on, we need to get back to the real world." Makoto said. Akira nodded in agreement. Makoto summoned her Persona, and together the pair made their way out of Mementos.

* * *

"So, guess we've just got to wait now." Akira said. He checked his phone. Over all they were in there over an hour. They stood now in Shibuya's Station Square.

"I told Natsume-san to call me the moment her shift ends. That won't be for a few hours, so we should head home and rest up." Makoto said. Akira nodded.

"We still have time. Want to head over to Iwai's quickly?" Akira asked. Makoto pulled out her phone. She frowned for a moment, before shaking her head and smiling.

"Of course. Let's go." Makoto said.

* * *

Makoto entered through the front door of her home, carrying two bags full of gear. A quick glance around the living room, no sign of Sae. She was relieved, at least now she wouldn't have to try and explain the stuff she was carrying. She'd brought her own new gear with her, along with Ann's new armour whip. As for her new weapon, she'd placed a custom order with Iwai, as intended. She couldn't be sure, but the man seemed slightly unnerved as she described with meticulous detail the deadly and painful weapon she wanted crafted.

She'd been slightly hesitant about visiting Iwai's after leaving Mementos. She'd checked the time and concluded that even if she'd gotten home at that moment, if Sae was there, she'd have chastised her. So, what did it really matter? Makoto went straight to her room and stashed the gear away under her bed, so that even if Sae did come in, which was very unlikely, she wouldn't find them.

With the gear stashed, she pulled out her phone and text Akira.

 _I'm home safely._ Send. It was something she did every time she got home after a day out with Akira, per his request. She didn't mind doing it in the slightest, she understood full well his worry.

Placing her phone aside, she went into her wardrobe, removing her clothes and changing into something more comfortable.

 _Bzzzzzrt. Bzzzzzzrt._

Makoto turned around to the sound of her phone buzzing. Was Akira calling her, was he okay? Makoto rushed to her phone and checked the name.

Kanade Natsume. She wasn't supposed to finish her shift for another two hours! Makoto answered.

"Kanade-chan, what's wro-" Makoto began.

"Makoto-chan! You were right! You were right!" Natsume cried. Makoto guessed what she meant, but had to play along.

"What do you mean, Kanade-chan?" Makoto asked.

"He gave me the footage! Kashiwagi, that is. I couldn't believe it! When I started work he was just staring at me with his creepy grin… I didn't know what to do. But about an hour ago he just suddenly broke down crying! The customers were staring and everything! He apologized to me, said he could never make it up to me. He handed me the tape and left the shop without another word. I couldn't believe it!" Kanade cried. Makoto smiled to herself. They'd done it.

"Do you think it was the Phantom Thieves?" Kanade asked. Makoto tensed slightly.

"It might have been. A sudden change of heart of a terrible person, that sounds like their work." Makoto said.

"I'm so sorry Makoto-chan, my break is over, I need to get back to the floor. The manager had to come down and everything to cover now that Kashiwagi has left. Thank you, Makoto-chan! I'll see you in school, okay? You can tell me about how you knew it would work out!" Kanade said. Before Makoto had a chance to reply, she hung up. As Makoto went to put her phone back down, it buzzed again, this time a text from Akira.

 _Good. I'm home too. Morgana is frenzied, if I don't reply just assume he's tied me to my bed_. Makoto laughed and shook her head. She didn't quite get the joke he kept bringing up about Morgana constantly trying to keep him trapped in the café, but just the mental image alone amused her. She began to text back.

 _Kanade called. Kashiwagi had his change of heart, he gave her the footage and quit the job. Mission accomplished._ Send.

Makoto climbed onto her bed and turned onto her back. She was so glad she'd helped Kanade-chan today.

 _A hatchling that has not yet grown its feathers cannot be blamed for not flying..._

Makoto repeated the phrase in her head. Akira had figured out, or at least accurately guessed, the source of what had been bothering her, that her sister considered her useless. His intuition was frightening sometimes. She still couldn't believe she'd ended up sharing so much with him. But she was glad she did. Being able to finally get so much off her chest… It had made her so happy. The way he had tried to comfort her, both before he had properly known what was wrong, and then again after… Made her happy. The fact that he had felt comfortable enough to tell her about his own past had touched her. She held no illusions that he had told her and only her, it was likely the rest of the Thieves knew too, but still. He trusted her. That meant the world to her.

"Just before we left… He… The way he was looking at me…" Makoto whispered and immediately felt her face burning red. If she didn't know better, it looked like he'd been leaning toward her… He couldn't have meant to…? Makoto shook her head. She was clueless about these things. She knew nothing when it came to love. For her to assume that he… That he meant to…

No. Akira was her leader. Her friend. She'd be a fool to think that he meant to kiss her.

 _Then I guess I'm an even bigger fool than I thought._ Makoto sighed to herself.

 _Because in that moment… I was so happy._

 _Bling_ Makoto jumped to to attention, looking at her phone. Akira again.

 _That's great news. Great job today, if you hadn't run into Natsume-san, I dread to think what would've happened. I'm going to head to bed now, I can't battle this cat any longer. Sleep well, Makoto._ She read the text, smiling again at the Morgana comment.

 _Goodnight, Akira. Thank you so much for coming today._ Send. She placed the phone on her bedside desk and stared at the ceiling for a long time in utter silence.

Suddenly, Makoto grabbed her pillow, pushed it against her face, and let out a groan of frustration and embarrassment.

She'd fallen for her leader.


	4. Love

_Author's_ _note: Had a bit of trouble before writing this one. I'd spent an entire day writing, re-writing, then re-writing again, then again, a different chapter, which chronologically I suppose would come after this one. But no matter what I did, even after like 5 re-writes, it didn't sit well with me. Then it clicked what was missing, and the idea for this chapter was born, which essentially removes the main annoyance of what was ruining the other chapter. Sorry if that sounds rambling, but it is nice to complain about it. Though this does mean that the next chapter is pretty much mostly written, just needs a fair bit of editing to accommodate the changes._

 _As for a timeline, this chapter takes place after Futaba's palace and shortly before their trip to the beach as a group._

 _I try to keep these Author notes short, but I do want to thank everyone who thinks that these works written for my own self satisfaction are worth reading. So long as I keep writing them, I'll be sharing them here, so I hope you continue to enjoy them. Of course, all the credit goes to the writers of Persona 5 itself, for gifting us these wonderful characters that we've all come to love. On top of that, thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Puts a smile on my face every time I get one. Anyway, enjoy._

* * *

Akira rushed through the entrance of The Crossroads, pulling Makoto in behind him. He quickly turned and shut the door, looking at Lady Lala Escargot, the owner of the bar.

"Kurusu-kun? How strange to see you here so early." Lala said. Akira nodded and pointed to a set of seats, motioning for Makoto to go sit on one.

"Sorry, Lala-chan. We run into some trouble, mind if we lay low here for a while?" Akira asked. Lala's eyes widened slightly before she nodded firmly.

"Of course, kid. Stay here as long as you need." Lala said. Akira smiled at her, before moving to sit next to Makoto, who still hadn't said a word.

"Can I get either of you a drink?" Lala asked.

"I'll have a grape soda, how about you?" Akira said, looking at Makoto.

"Orange, please." Makoto said. Lala nodded and moved to get the drinks. Akira smiled his thanks at Lala then turned to look at Makoto.

"So… That was certainly something, huh?" Akira said. Makoto winced.

"I can't believe I slapped my friend." She sighed, sounding mortified. Akira couldn't help but grin. Lala returned with their drinks, her curiosity piqued.

"My, you slapped your friend? Things must've gotten pretty heated out there. Want to fill me in, kid?" Lala asked. Akira took his drink and handed Lala enough money to pay for both.

"Well, I suppose it's only fair since you're letting us take shelter here." Akira said, glancing at Makoto.

"You don't mind, right?" Akira asked. Makoto shook her head in response.

"Well, it started with…"

* * *

Akira caught Lala up on the Eiko situation, with her club Host boyfriend and Makoto's suspicions, how he'd been constantly texting Makoto and so on. When Akira got to the part about how Eiko needed money because Tsukasa had "dropped" a bottle of sake and was gonna be in huge trouble, Lala scowled.

"Disgusting. That's an old, old trick around these parts. You kids were smart to pick up on it when you did." Lala said. Akira continued, explaining how Makoto had decided they needed to put a stop to it and expose Tsukasa. Knowing Eiko was working, the pair had come to Shinjuku and asked around if anyone knew of him. It wasn't long until they came across a host from another club that knew exactly what tricks Tsukasa would get up too. That was all the proof they needed and so they decided to confront Eiko.

"Tsukasa, huh? I've heard the name come up a few times… Think he had a run in with Ichiko-chan a good few months back. Don't think it turned out too well for him though." Lala laughed. Akira smirked as well, glancing at Makoto, whose expression was quizzical. Of course, she'd never met Ohya.

Akira went on to explain how Makoto had lured Tsukasa to where they were meeting Eiko by texting as if she _was_ Eiko, counting on the fact that Tsukasa could never remember the girl's names, he just called them princess. So they confronted Eiko, who didn't want to hear it just as Tsukasa turned up, and as Makoto had planned, called Eiko by Makoto's name, falling for the trap Makoto had planned. But even with Tsukasa exposed, Eiko wasn't having any of it. She refused to believe Tsukasa was tricking her, that he was planning to get her to run up a load of debt then be forced to pay it back with her body. She called Makoto a bitch who just wanted to interfere with her happiness.

"And that's when she smacked her." Akira said with a grin. Makoto let out another embarrassed groan and hid her face in her hands.

"You did the right thing, Makoto-chan," Lala said. "Sometimes all you need is your friends to smack some sense back into you when you're going astray." Lala finished.

"Yeah, well, emphasis on the _smack_ part with this one." Akira laughed. He could see Makoto's cheeks turning red already.

"I… I didn't expect it to connect so well." Was all she said, prompting even more laughter from Akira.

"Crafty _and_ fierce. Looks like you'll have your hands full with this one, kid." Lala said, smiling at Akira. Akira twirled a lock of hair nervously and laughed.

"I guess you could say that." Akira said.

"So, what happened to your friend, Eiko-chan, was it?" Lala asked. Makoto pulled her face from her hands and looked at Lala.

"She ran back into her workplace. I'm… I'm not sure if she'll cut contact with Tsukasa, but I think I got through to her in the end." Makoto said.

"And that guy, Tsukasa?" Lala asked.

"Well, he didn't take getting exposed too kindly," Akira said, his eyes turning dark. "He tried to take a swing at Makoto." He finished. Lala shook her head.

"You kids did the right thing running away and coming here. If he turns up I'll personally throw him out onto the street." Lala grunted.

"That wasn't why we ran though. Akira intercepted him before he could get to me, told him "Your fight is with me" or something. He ran away after that. But so many people had gathered to watch, and we didn't know if he was going to grab friends, so Akira took us here." Makoto said.

"Well, aren't you lucky to get yourself such a gallant young man, Makoto-chan?" Lala asked, causing Makoto to look away in embarrassment. Before Lala could tease them more, the door to the bar opened and a young couple entered.

"Well, I'll leave you kids too it, stay here as long as you need." Lala said, moving to serve the other pair. Akira looked over at Makoto, who was now staring off into space.

"You did the right thing. Honestly, you did." Akira reassured her. Makoto sighed, snapping back to attention.

"I hope you're right, Akira." Makoto said, sipping from her drink.

"And thank you… For stepping in with Tsukasa. I guess you've saved me again now, huh?" Makoto said. Akira smiled slightly. During the battle in Futaba's palace, the cognition of Wakaba had sent forth a gale so powerful it was destroying the stone pillars at the top of the pyramid. Akira, barely able to stand on his feet, saw one toppling toward Makoto, who had yet to notice it. Moving before he even had a chance to think, and only vaguely hearing Ryuji screaming for Makoto to look out, Akira had dived on her and pulled her out of harm's way. He usually fancied himself calm and composed, no matter the situation. But his heart was beating out of his chest in that moment. He was so glad she was safe.

"It was nothing, honestly." Akira said, trying to brush it off. Makoto shook her head, smiling shyly.

"No… It was clumsy of me to let my guard down like that. So again, thank you, Akira, and thank you for coming with me today, too. I don't know what would've happened if you weren't here… I…" Makoto said, trailing off.

"Well, I guess I just can't leave you alone then. You'll have to take me with you everywhere from now on." Akira said, grinning at Makoto. He had expected her to blush and look away, but found he was the one who had to avert his gaze when she looked him dead in the eye and smiled gently.

"I… suppose I can't complain about that." She murmured. Akira tried to speak and found his voice catching in his throat. Makoto's gentle smile was slowly replaced by a look of sheer embarrassment as she realised Akira wasn't replying.

"I.. I, er… So, this place! It's pretty impressive that you know about it, Akira." Makoto said. Akira waved it off.

"I'm a regular here, after all. I regularly meet with someone here for information. It's how I got…" Akira lowered his voice, "Kaneshiro's name after all." Akira said. Makoto opened her mouth in amazement.

"Impressive. Even though I'm your senior, you seem to know so much more about the world than I do." Makoto mused.

"Do you think so? You're knowledgeable in countless ways I'm not." Akira said. Makoto simply shook her head.

"I'm book smart. But I still don't think I understand how this world works, not yet, or my place in it for that matter… But one thing I do know, people like Tsukasa, or Kaneshiro… I can't stand them. The thought of such wicked people not being punished for what they do, it just…" Makoto didn't finish the sentence, she simply clenched her fists.

"Yeah, well.. That's why I'm glad you're with us, Makoto." Akira said. Makoto smiled up at him.

"I'm glad I found you all as well… And you, Akira. I'm glad I found you." Makoto said.

"To think, all this started because you were stalking me through the city." Akira laughed. Makoto's face dropped.

"T-that's not how it was!" Makoto cried.

"What was it…" Akira mused, scratching his head. "Something… Hiding behind books, stalking her prey, did I steal your heart?" Akira said. Makoto covered her face once again.

"I can't believe you wrote that haiku. You are so cheesy…" Makoto said, a faint hint of laughter overpowering her embarrassment.

"I definitely remember the line "the lone beauty" being in there." Akira carried on. Makoto let out an embarrassed groan.

"You love teasing me, don't you?" Makoto said with a faint smile.

"It's not teasing! "The lone beauty" was the only obvious descriptor to describe my mysterious stalker." Akira laughed. Makoto looked up at him, a fairly serious expression on her face.

"You think… I'm beautiful?" Makoto asked. Akira looked at her, and almost immediately made a quip. But there was something in her eyes… This wasn't the time to joke.

"Yeah… I do." Akira said. Makoto's mouth parted slightly, a faint red blush tainting her cheeks. Akira turned and took a swig of his drink and then placed his hands on the bar, twirling his fingers together and looking away from Makoto.

"I… See…" Makoto said. Akira could feel the warmth in her voice. He quickly stole a glance at her, and saw her smiling in a way he'd never seen before.

"No one has… Ever said that to me before." Makoto said. Akira fully turned back to her now.

"I find that hard to believe." Akira said. Makoto shook her head.

"I've… I've had guys ask me out before… And tell me I looked "hot" and so on but…" Makoto murmured.

"Well… I mean it." Akira said. Makoto looked down and smiled.

"Thank you… Akira." A moment of silence passed between them.

"When I slapped Eiko… I tend to get caught up in the emotion of the moment. Rational thinking just goes out the window and I just… act. It's why I try so hard to control myself and have a calm, measured disposition. Why I try to be so reserved. If I'm not… Even I'm not sure what I could end up doing." Makoto said.

"Like storming a mafia base by yourself?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded.

"Ha… Yes, like that. I think it simply speaks of my own inexperience." Makoto said. Akira shook his head.

"It's good to remain in control, but I admire your decisiveness, Makoto. I don't think you should change that part of yourself, only refine it." Akira said.

"I see…" Makoto began. "You're right. But I have a long way to go to get there. You and Eiko have shown me that. Despite being older than you both, you've also both experienced so much more than me. You've seen more of the world, not just through the pages of a book, but by yourselves. For better or worse, good experience or bad, you've done it." Makoto said.

"I'm.. So inexperienced. Seeing different places… Meeting different people… Falling in love." Makoto sighed. Akira felt his heart beat faster as she finished the sentence.

"Eiko, even though it hurt her so badly, she pushed on ahead, chasing her happiness. She found someone she loved and did all that she could so that she'd never lose him… Compared to me… Where I've just… I've just sat around and twiddled my thumbs, doing nothing, frozen by fear, like a coward." Makoto said. Akira stared at her.

 _What does she mean? Does she…?_

"She was right, I really would fail a test on love. But I don't know how to study such a thing on my own…" Makoto said. Akira took a few ragged breaths. This was his moment.

"What am I supposed to do…" Makoto murmured.

"Makoto… I-" Akira began, but was interrupted by the sound of the bar door swinging open.

"Hellooooo, Lala-chan!" Came a shrill voice. Both Akira and Makoto turned toward the door in shock.

"Ichiko-chan, what did I tell you about barging in here like that!" Lala snapped. Ohya rubbed the back of her head and apologised, moving into the bar. It was only a few seconds before she spotted Akira and waved.

"Why, if it isn't my favourite little informant! Oh look, Lala-chan, he brought a date!" Ohya said, pointing. Lala frowned at her.

"Yes indeed, and you just interrupted right when it was getting to the good part!" Lala shouted. Ohya glanced at her quizzically.

"Eh?" She said. Akira glanced back at Makoto, who looked like a deer in headlights.

"Good… part?" Makoto asked. Akira glanced back at Lala, who was still scolding Ohya.

 _Oh, she was listening to us._ Akira thought. He couldn't be mad at her, they were doing this in her bar after all. Akira glanced back at Makoto, who had turned back to her drink. The moment had gone.

* * *

They'd stayed at the bar for another half hour, finishing their drinks and chatting to Ohya. When they were ready to leave, Lala called them a cab to the train station, just in case Tsukasa had any of his goons hanging around. Akira didn't say much during this time, and neither did Makoto. It was like there was a wall between them. They got out of the cab and walked to the train station in silence.

 _We get different routes home…_ Akira thought to himself, silently cursing.

 _I need to tell her._

"My train is over on this platform… So I guess I'll…" Makoto began.

"Come to Inokashira with me." Akira blurted out. Makoto tilted her head at him.

"What?"

"Inokashira, the park. It's still only mid-day, we've got about four hours of sunlight left, probably more." Akira said.

"The… park?" Makoto asked. Akira felt a stab in his gut.

"If you don't want too, that-" He begun.

"No! I want too, I do. Let's go!" Makoto said with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. The pair smiled awkwardly at each other and walked to catch the train to Inokashira.

* * *

Forty minutes later, the pair were walking through Inokashira park, taking the path down along the riverside.

"You know, it's been years since I came here last." Makoto said. Akira looked at her.

"Oh yeah?" He asked.

"Mhm… With my father… It was a few months before… Well, before that. Sae was home from college and had some spare time, which was rare for her. Even when she'd come and visit us she'd always be stuck in her room working on this assignment or that project. It was even rarer for my father to have free time as well, so we had to make the most of it when we could… The three of us." Makoto said. Akira nodded.

"It was nice… My father and I had gone shopping the night before, we'd had so much fun picking out what to bring on our picnic. Sae seemed reluctant to come, even though she was on top of her work, she wanted to get a head start on the next assignment, but… Dad managed to convince her." Makoto smiled.

"So was it a nice day?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded, smiling deeply.

"We'd managed to get through the food before the weather took a sudden turn. We were way too far away from the car to get back without getting soaked, so we all took shelter under this thick gathering of trees, the canopy blocking the rain out, for the most part. But there wasn't much room, so we all had to cuddle up together to not get soaked." Makoto stared off toward the river, a distant look in her eyes.

"I miss him… I miss my sister… How she used to be." Makoto said solemnly. Akira walked ahead of her, toward the river, and leaned on the wooden railing that stopped people from slipping and falling in. Makoto stood next to him, following his gaze into the water.

"Your father would be proud of the woman you've become." Akira said. Makoto glanced at him.

"Do you really think so?" Makoto asked.

"I… I suppose it might not be fair of me to say that, since I didn't know him. But, what I can say safely is, any father would be proud to call you their daughter." Akira said. Makoto inhaled sharply, then smiled. Gently, she rested her head against his shoulder. Akira's heart jumped at the motion.

"As for your sister… She's just another victim of this warped society. A country caked in blood, running on the flesh of it's citizens. That drains everything they have to give then spits them back out… But, that's why we're doing this, aren't we? To change society..." Akira mused.

"Thank you, Akira…" Makoto said.

"For what?" He asked.

"For… this. For being by my side." Makoto whispered. Akira smiled.

"So, did your parents ever take you out for park trips or such?" Makoto asked. Akira clicked his tongue.

"When I was younger… yeah." Akira said. Makoto took her head off his shoulder and looked at him, her expression one of guilt.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I… I forgot…" She stammered. Akira shook his head.

"No, it's fine. Honestly, things weren't so bad when I was younger. They were both always so busy with work that it wasn't often but… Yeah. We had a few memorable outings." Akira smiled wistfully.

"What about friends? Did you spend a lot of time with them?" Makoto asked.

"I didn't really have many friends back home. I guess I was just something of a loner. I loved coming for walks to places like these by myself, though. It was a nice escape, especially when…" Akira started.

"What is it?" Makoto asked. Akira cleared his throat.

"Well, when my parents started arguing more. Nearer toward, y'know, the divorce. I just never really felt relaxed in that house. It was nice to just get away. I was actually coming back from one of those walks when… Well, when _that_ incident happened. I'd stayed up in the mountains pretty late, just kinda lost track of time I guess. They'd had a massive blow out that morning. Lots of screaming, stuff being thrown. Just had to get outta there." Akira said. Makoto took one of his hands in both of hers.

"Well… You're not there anymore. You're here, with us, with your new friends… your new family." Makoto said.

"Thank you, Makoto." Akira sighed. He always felt uncomfortable when he shared about himself. To him, it really didn't matter. His own past was of no consequence when he was surrounded by those who had suffered infinitely more. Yusuke, Ryuji, Ann, Futaba, Makoto. Each of them, their own suffering dwarfed his. He wanted to be there for them, to unburden them. Not to create any more worries for them with his own inconsequential hurt. It was better if he just hid it away… Or that's what he usually thought. But now…

"I don't usually share these things… Even telling the others about why I'm here in the first place, it felt… Selfish. Like I'm trying to cover for myself, I can't describe it… But, if it's you, it's okay I think. Telling you… it feels okay." Akira said, staring off into the distance. After a long moment of silence, Akira felt Makoto's hands tighten on his.

"Mak-" Akira went to say, turning to face her, but was stopped dead by the look on her face. She was staring straight at him, her cheeks ever so slightly blushed, eyes partly closed… and smiling. It was a sad smile… But a smile nonetheless.

"I… I'm so inexperienced when it comes to love." She said, echoing her previous statement.

"Eiko… She was so decisive when she'd found the one who she loved… And I've… I've been…" Makoto said, struggling to get the words out. Akira realised she was repeating what she had said earlier, in the Crossroads.

"I've just… Sat around, not acting… Waiting for… I don't even know what... When I should've… I should've just told you..." Makoto said. Akira's breath caught in his throat as a strong gust of wind parted the branches above them, and a beam of sunlight lit up Makoto's face.

 _You think… I'm beautiful?_ Makoto's words echoed back to him. He did. He really, truly did.

"Akira… I…" Makoto stammered. Akira met her eyes. Those eyes that always seemed to break apart his composure. Eyes such a deep brown they were almost red. He loved those eyes. Akira couldn't watch her struggle to find the words anymore. He knew what she wanted to say… He wanted to say it himself. He snaked a hand around her waist, and pulled her even closer. Makoto slipped her hands from his chest and wrapped them around his back. Their faces were inches apart. Makoto still wore the same expression. Shyness, excitement, sadness, longing.

"Akira…" Makoto whispered again. Akira pulled her into a kiss. It was gentle, reserved. Unsurprising, he thought, since it was the first for either of them. Akira felt Makoto's grip against him tighten and she kissed him more forcefully. He brought his free hand up and ran his fingers through her hair, holding her a few more seconds before breaking. Makoto looked at him, almost seeming dazed.

"We… Just…" Makoto stammered.

"I love you, Makoto." Akira said. Makoto looked at him in shock.

"I…" Makoto stammered. Her lower lip quivered slightly before she shook her head and swallowed hard.

"I… I love you, too, Akira." Makoto replied, and immediately went back into him embrace, resting her head on his chest. Akira's heart was beating wildly, and he knew Makoto must have felt it. No matter how composed he tried to make his outward appearance, he couldn't lie to her now.

"So… Did I do it right?" Makoto murmured, hiding her face from him.

"Do what?" Akira asked.

"The kiss." Makoto mumbled into his chest.

"I… Er… I don't know… That was my first kiss, too." Akira said. Makoto looked up at him, her cheeks still flushed.

"R-really…?" She asked. Akira glanced aside.

"Don't act so surprised…" He grumbled. Makoto smiled and rested her face back into his chest.

"I'm… glad." Makoto sighed.

"Even if we did do it wrong, we'll have plenty of time to "study" and get it right now, won't we?" Akira quipped, determined to regain the upper-hand.

"Wha-" Makoto squeaked, before Akira laughed loudly and pulled her into yet another kiss.


	5. Date?

_Author's note:_

 _Sorry for the long update on this one. Even though about 1/3 of it was written, it basically had to be heavily edited. Then I had to deal with my flurry of end of year assignments and projects (still on going), then I had a family visit, and to top it all off a lightning storm cut my internet for 3 days. Been a busy few weeks._

 _Anyway, the next chapter after this may also be a while longer than usual, do to the aforementioned assignments and such, but almost done then I'll have the summer to finish my story ideas. Hawaii will likely be next, and I plan to have at least 2 chapters minimum focusing on it. After that, I guess I'll see._

 _Special mention goes out to Freinoir, who's wonderful artworks are a must see for any fan of AkiraxMakoto, or for any fan of Persona in general. Their AkiraxMakoto art has given me the energy to keep creating myself, and even given me a few ideas! You can find them over at their Twitter or Tumblr. So, with that, please enjoy the chapter._

* * *

Makoto came to a stop by the front door of her home, placing a hand against a wall and leaning against it as she panted for breath. She could feel the sweat streaming down her body and moved a hand to wipe her brow clean, pushing her fringe out of the way as she did so. After a few moments, she grabbed the door handle and pulled it down, taking a few shaky steps into her house. She glanced quickly around the living room, empty, as she suspected it would be, and moved to get herself a glass of water.

As tired as she felt after it, Makoto had been enjoying her morning jogging sessions. Even this early in the morning, the blistering heat was nearly unbearable, though, and she always felt gross by the time she got home with how much sweat she'd be covered in. It was worth it though. The way her body had ached after they had finished with Kaneshiro's palace, she had to admit to herself that was she not incredibly athletic. If she wanted to increase her efficiency as a thief, she'd need to start seriously getting into shape. She'd gone to Ryuji and asked for advice, reasoning his background in athletics would make him a valuable source of information, and he had been more than happy to suggest the best workout routines, the best meals to have and when before an exercise session, even down to his favourite brand of running shoes. It had been very informative. The fact he'd seemed so happy to have someone to share his knowledge with as well had made her happy, she'd never seen Ryuji so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about something.

Makoto let out a satisfied sigh as she placed the now empty glass of water on the counter. She reached down, peeling off her shoes and placing them by the door at the front entrance, then immediately made for the bathroom. Peeling off the rest of her clothes, which had stuck to her through the sweat, Makoto turned on the shower and let it run for a moment. As she did this, she leaned against the sink and looked at her face in the mirror. It was red, her forehead in particular being shiny still, and her hair was a complete mess from where she'd pushed it aside. It felt good though, physical appearance notwithstanding. She felt accomplished, light headed, but not in a bad way. This must be what Ryuji called the "runner's high."

Removing her hairband, Makoto stepped into the shower, and let out another happy sigh. As she began to run her hands through her hair, she thought back to the events of the last few weeks.

The Phantom Thieves had successfully helped Futaba, and as a result stopped the Medjed threat as well. This had also led them to recruiting Futaba into the Phantom Thieves as well. She was a welcome addition, with her scanning abilities surpassing even Morgana's, and her affinity for technology in the real world being the only reason they managed to stop Medjed in time.

The experience with Futaba's palace had been drastically different from their previous infiltrations and had given her a lot to think about.

 _Futaba's awakening seemed so much more peaceful than my own, and from all accounts, the others'. She confronted her own shadow directly, and made peace with it, then awakened her Persona from it… I wonder, was that a fluke? Futaba is a genuinely good person at heart, so it makes sense that her shadow wouldn't be necessarily evil… Confronting your own shadow and making peace with it… What a funny thought._ Makoto mused to herself. With her thoughts on the battle at the top of the pyramid, it was inevitable her thoughts would once again go back to _that_ moment.

"I messed up so badly…" Makoto sighed, reaching to start applying shampoo to her hair. Just thinking of how Akira had needed to save her still embarassed her. She should've been more alert. After that incident, she had convinced herself that Akira would only ever see her as a burden, someone he would need to protect, never to be an equal. But, once again, Akira surprised her, as he always seemed too. The events of a week ago had once again proven how clueless she truly was about love.

 _I love you, Makoto_

Makoto brought her fingers to her lips, smiling at the memory. It was a moment of her life she knew she'd never forget. Before he took the initiative, she'd been struggling to find the words. She didn't even know if she _should_ say them. At that point, she was only telling Akira so she could get the weight off her chest. Her feelings for him had been distracting her, leaving her unfocused and unsure. She had convinced herself that telling him would allow her to accept the rejection and move on, so they could get back to being close friends and she could re-dedicate herself to her duties. The thought that he'd loved her back never crossed her mind.

But now, they were officially together, a couple. To finally be open about her feelings to him, and to know that he reciprocated them, all the previous worry, the anxiety, the weight on her chest, was gone, replaced with a new energy she'd never felt before. Sadly, since then, they hadn't had any time alone together. Between helping Futaba readjust to society, catching up on the sheer amount of work she had fallen behind on, along with how busy Akira had been with his own studies and whatever it was he got up to in the evenings (he had said "meeting with our confidants?), there simply hadn't been an opportunity. She was hoping they'd get some time together, even if it was only a moment, when the group went to the beach together, but even that didn't work out as she'd hoped.

Makoto finished washing the shampoo out of her hair and turned the shower off, grabbing a towel from the cupboard and drying herself. _The beach trip… It was a lovely day, and I'm so glad Futaba enjoyed herself… but I still ended up embarrassing myself in front of everyone._ Makoto sighed. After her, Ann and Futaba had returned from their trip on the boat, she had asked Akira what he and the guys had been up too when they were gone. Ryuji had taken Akira and Yusuke to go "babe hunting" as he had called it. Akira had been telling her about how Ryuji had failed again and again when it happened.

" _So, they just didn't show any interest then, huh?" Makoto asked. Akira shook his head._

" _Na, but ah well, what can you do?" Akira said._

" _But you were very popular with the women, Akira." Yusuke said. Akira glanced at Yusuke, then back to Makoto._

" _What, me?" Akira spluttered. Makoto stared at the floor, immediately feeling dejected._

" _I-I mean… No, I-" Akira had began. Ryuji, who had been listening to the conversation, interjected._

" _What? Don't listen to him, Makoto. He was a babe,_ magnet _," Ryuji started "it honestly made me jealous." He finished. Almost immediately Ann slapped him over the head._

" _Idiot!" She snapped. Ryuji rubbed his head and looked at Ann confused._

" _O-oh. I-I, see…" Makoto said. Akira's eyes widened in alarm._

" _It wasn't like that!" Akira shouted._

" _Don't be so modest, Akira, it was almost as if you had an entrancing aura these women simply couldn't resist." Yusuke had chipped in. Makoto continued to stare at the floor._

" _Though, it was very rude of you to brush them away like you did, Akira. Why, you hardly said a word to them! Not only that, your eyes never once moved to ogle their bodies! The poor women must have felt utterly shamed." Yusuke concluded. Makoto looked at Yusuke, then back to Akira._

" _Yeah, he just kinda ignored 'um. Didn't even send them my way." Ryuji sighed. Akira began to awkwardly play with a strand of hair._

" _Y-yeah, well…" Akira mumbled. Makoto had looked at Akira, the icy knot that had been forming in her stomach melting instantly. She didn't even realise she had a big smile on her face._

" _I-I see! Good! That's good! I mean… Er, that is…" Makoto spluttered. Makoto looked around awkwardly. Akira was looking away from her, still playing with his hair._

" _Heh, guess we all know why ya turned them away though, eh?" Ryuji said, throwing an arm around Akira and playfully punching him in the ribs. Makoto looked away and over at Ann, who was staring at her with a huge grin. Makoto realised how widely she'd been smiling at the news that Akira had turned the girls away, and stopped immediately._

" _W-what?" Makoto asked Ann._

" _Oh nothiiiing." Ann replied, in a sing song voice. Makoto glanced at Akira, who met her gaze and gave her a gentle smile. Makoto returned the smile and turned back to Ann, who was now giving a double thumbs up. Makoto stared at the ground and let out a groan._

At the time she was incredibly embarrassed, but now she found herself smiling slightly. It's not that she didn't trust Akira, she just couldn't help get flustered at the thought of all of those girls after him, especially since she'd had such little time with him. Makoto wrapped the towel around herself and walked to her room, opening her cupboard and looking through her clothes.

"The last day of the holidays… I'm going to see him today!" Makoto said to herself with conviction. With school returning soon, they'd have even less time together, and the second year Hawaii trip was soon as well, so they'd be separated even longer. She was determined to get one day alone with him before that. Makoto began to look through her selection of clothes. She knew she didn't have the kind of collection that some girls had, but she had a respectable amount of choices. But they were all very much "her" style. Simple, practical, reserved, yet still with a sense of style.

"What to wear…" She mused. Makoto accepted that she was clueless when it came to what being a girlfriend entailed. She wasn't sure what she should do to make sure Akira was happy and excited to be with her. So, she had decided to ask Eiko, who, after a very long phone call that went on to the early hours of the morning, she had finally made up with.

" _Oooh, I read something about this in a magazine once!" Eiko had said._

" _Magazine?" Makoto had replied._

" _Yeah, it was called Vague. It said that, to surprise your man, turn up at his place unannounced." Eiko had said._

" _Unannounced…? Isn't that inconvenient? What if they're not there, or busy?" Makoto asked._

" _That's the romantic part! You take the risk! It also said to tell them beforehand you're busy that day, so you're gonna' give them an extra big surprise!" Eiko had exclaimed._

" _I… Are you sure this is a good idea?" Makoto asked._

" _Of course! You gotta trust me on this, Akira-kun will go crazy for it, he'll fall for you all over again for how decisive you are!" Eiko had said excitedly._

" _W-well… If you're sure…" Makoto had replied._

So, in accordance with the plan, Makoto had told Akira last night she was going to be busy all day and wouldn't be available. He had seemed disappointed, and she had wanted to end the plan right there and ask him to spend the day with her, but she had to trust Eiko and her magazine of relationship knowledge. It was always best to refer back to the teachings of the masters at times of uncertainty.

Makoto had finally decided on what to wear, and placed the assorted clothes on her bed. She had always strived to look presentable when going out in public, but looking "good" had never been one of her main concerns. Eiko had reinforced how important it was to blow Akira away when he saw her, so she'd picked out something a bit different today. It was the only dress she owned, and it was appropriately summery, with a soft white colour, and gentle flower decorations. It went down to her knees, so it was fairly modest, and the sleeves only went halfway down her upper arm. She thought about sending a picture to Ann and asking if she thought it was okay, but found the idea far too embarrassing. Finally getting dressed, Makoto went back into the bathroom and placed on her braided headband. If she left now, she should be able to get there in just under an hour. She smiled to herself.

 _That'll give me a full day with him. This is going to be great._ Makoto thought to herself, and made to leave.

* * *

Nearly 2 hours later, thanks to missing the first train due to forgetting her bag in her excitement, then unexpected delays, Makoto finally arrived Yongen-Jaya walking down the backstreets and heading to LeBlanc. The delay had frustrated her, but she was determined not to let her spirits drop. As she got closer and closer to the café, she started to get worried that this was a bad idea.

 _What if he thinks I'm being too forward? Will it make him uncomfortable? I should've just told him I'm coming…_ She thought to herself.

 _No.. No, I have to trust Eiko and those with more experience. I'm… I'm sure this will go fine._

Leblanc was less than a minute away now. She tried to steady her breathing.

 _This will be fine._ Makoto assured herself. She turned around the corner and walked down to Leblanc's entrance. She peered inside, there was only one customer and Sojiro-san was behind the counter, no sign of Akira. She took a deep breath and entered.

"Sorry to intrude." Makoto said, smiling meekly at Sojiro. He waved her in, not looking surprised to see her.

"Ahh, Niijima-san." Sojiro said.

"Hello, Sakura-san." Makoto said.

"You must be here for Akira, huh? Well, he's upstairs, go on up, I think he's waiting for you." Sojiro said. Makoto's mouth opened slightly.

"T-To his room? Alone? W-waiting for me?" Makoto stuttered. Sojiro raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I mean… You won't be alone but… Yeah, his room. Head on up." Sojiro said, turning back to look at the TV. Makoto swallowed nervously and nodded. He was expecting her? What did he mean by not alone…?

Makoto reached the stairs and slowly began to walk up them. She could hear sounds coming from the room.

 _He and Morgana must be watching TV._ She thought to herself. No turning back now.

"A-Akira, I'm sorry to-" Makoto began as she reached the top of the stairs, but stopped talking as all eyes turned toward her.

Akira, Ryuji, Ann and Futaba were gathered around the TV, each holding what looked like a game controller in their hands. On the bed, Morgana was lounging, though he too now looked toward her.

"Er…" Makoto began.

"Makoto?" Akira asked, immediately putting the controller down and standing up to meet her.

"Y-yes. Hello." Makoto said. Ryuji, Ann and Futaba all waved and said hello, looking surprised and happy to see her.

"What are you doing here?" Akira asked, a huge smile on his face despite the blunt question.

"I… I came to see yo- I mean, I..." Makoto spluttered. Akira tilted his head.

"I thought you were busy today?" He asked. Makoto tried to think of an excuse.

"I… Er… I, something changed and… Well, I have time now, so I…" Makoto stuttered. Akira's smile never left his face.

"Well, I'm glad you could make it. You should've said you were coming, I'd have met you at the station." Akira said. Makoto quickly shook her head.

"O-oh, no, that wouldn't have been necessary. Plus I… Er…I just forgot, I guess?" Makoto lied awkwardly.

"Well, it's no problem, you can come here anytime you like." Akira said. Makoto immediately felt her face start burning red and she glanced away. After a few seconds, she looked back at everyone in the room.

"So, what's everyone doing here...?" Makoto asked.

"We'd promised Futaba we'd come play her new game with her today." Ann said, gesturing at her and Ryuji.

"I thought it would be cool to take it over here and we could play with Akira, too!" Futaba said. Akira looked back from the group to Makoto.

"When you told me you was busy I thought I'd join them. It's been fun." Akira said.

"Now even Makoto is here! Come on, you gotta play too!" Futaba shouted. Makoto was still in a near stunned silence. Akira seemed to sense this, and smiled apologetically.

"You three carry on without us, we'll be back in a bit." Akira said, tapping Makoto's shoulder and pointing at the stairs.

"Where ya going?" Futaba called.

"Just going to get some drinks for us all." Akira said. The group called out what they wanted, coffee for Futaba, a soda for Ann and Ryuji, and went back to the game. Makoto turned around and went down the stairs ahead of Akira.

"Mona, tag in!" Makoto heard Futaba cry as she turned the corner. She smiled to herself, relaxing slightly, slightly disappointed she couldn't hear Morgana's reply. She reached the bottom of the stairs and walked out onto the main floor and waited for Akira, glancing around the shop, noting the one customer from earlier had already left. Sojiro gave her a questioning look, which he then turned to Akira as he stepped out behind her.

"Oh, are the two lovers sneaking off?" Sojiro asked. Makoto felt her face burn red instantly and looked away. Thankfully, Akira spoke up with far more composure.

"Only if you count grabbing drinks for our guests as sneaking off." Akira smirked. Sojiro let out a short laugh.

"Well, I'm gonna go grab some smokes. If a customer comes in, don't let them catch Niijima-san clinging to your leg again, alright?" Sojiro grinned. Makoto didn't think she could ever be more embarrassed.

"I… I-" Makoto began to stutter.

"Better hurry to the shop, Boss, they might run out of smokes." Akira snickered. Sojiro nodded his head and left without another word. Makoto still stared at the floor. As Sojiro disappeared out of sight, Makoto turned to Akira.

"I'm-" She began, but was immediately cut off by Akira pulling her to him and kissing her deeply. Makoto was too surprised to react at first, but within seconds she fell into the kiss, breaking away only after remembering where they were.

"A-Akira-" Makoto began. He cut her off again by pulling her into a hug.

"I've missed you." Akira grinned.

"Y-you saw me two days ago…" Makoto mumbled into his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know, but the others were there, so couldn't exactly do this, could I?" Akira smirked.

Makoto sighed contently and relaxed into the hug. After what seemed far too short a time to her, Akira broke the embrace and moved behind the counter.

"I'm gonna get the coffee started." He said. Makoto nodded as Akira grabbed an empty coffee cup, feeling her face turn red as she saw him glancing at her, his eyes running over her.

"You look lovely." Akira said honestly. Makoto nervously tugged at her dress.

"D-do you think so?" She asked.

"Of course. I've never seen you wear a dress… It's really different. Good different…. beautiful." Akira said. Makoto clung to her dress, attempting to will herself into composure. It was new for her, being this flustered around someone else. She'd never really had trouble socialising before and had always managed to maintain a calm, measured demeanour… But with him...

"Want anything for yourself?" Akira asked as he began boiling water.

"A water… Please." Makoto said. Akira nodded, moving to the sink and filling up a glass of water, handing it to her.

"Take a seat." Akira insisted, pointing at one of the stools at the bar. Makoto nodded and did so. Still silent.

"So, what really happened today?" Akira asked. Makoto flinched. There was no hint of annoyance in his voice, just genuine curiosity.

"W-what do you mean?" Makoto asked.

"You said you were busy and couldn't make it, then turn up quite early in the day, unannounced. Cancelling plans I can understand, but turning up without warning? That's not the Makoto I know." Akira said, pouring the coffee. Makoto didn't know what to say.

"I… Er…" Akira looked up at her and smiled apologetically.

"I'm not trying to accuse you of anything! I just want to know if something's wrong, that's all." Akira said. Makoto shifted uncomfortably in her chair. There was really no point lying to him now, she just had to accept the plan had been foolish.

"Well… I was trying to figure out ways to make you happy… I know I'm not going to be the best at being a bubbly, cheery girlfriend, so I asked Eiko for advice…" Makoto said. Akira winced.

"No disrespect to Eiko but er… Love advice from her?" Akira asked. Makoto glanced aside.

"We'd just made up… I didn't want to upset her. Besides, she said she'd read it all in a magazine. That I should tell you I'm busy, then turn up to surprise you completely unannounced. It was meant to make you happy…" Makoto murmured. Akira bowed his head and grinned.

"Well, it certainly was a lovely surprise." Akira said. Makoto looked up at him and smiled.

"Really?"

"Really. Though, if you _had_ let me known you were coming… we probably could've been off on a date right now…" Akira droned playfully. Makoto bristled slightly.

"But, at least we get to spend time with the others. Though it's a shame Yusuke isn't here too if we're all gathered." Makoto said. Akira nodded.

"Ann did text him, but he said he was busy today. Plus I'm not sure he's much of a gamer." Akira said. Akira finished making the coffee and moved to the fridge to grab the sodas.

"You know… We could just… sneak off." Akira said slyly. Makoto shook her head.

"W-what! We can't just leave the others!" She cried. Akira waved his hand apologetically.

"I know, I know, I was joking." Akira said as he set the sodas on the counter. Makoto huffed slightly, though there was a small part of her that was tempted to take him up on the offer. She sipped at her water as she watched Akira pour the glasses.

"Going to help me carry these up?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded, finishing the rest of her water and grabbing a glass of soda in each hand.

"You're staying, right?" Akira asked. Makoto looked at him, lips parted slightly, and nodded once.

"Of course, if you want me too." Makoto said. Akira nodded.

"I do." Akira said simply. With that, he made his way to the stairs, Makoto following him closely behind, smiling gently.

As they reached the top, Makoto couldn't help but smile as she saw the three immersed in their game, Futaba with a look of smug superiority on her face as she was no doubt crushing Ann and Ryuji.

"Got the drinks." Akira said, placing them on the coffee on the counter by the stairs. Makoto placed her glasses there too. She turned and looked around the room. There were four chairs pulled around the TV, and from the looks of it Futaba had brought her own console from home. Akira glanced back at her.

"Want the chair?" He asked.

"I don't mind." Makoto said. Futaba, who must've just finished winning the race, looked over at Makoto.

"Come on, Makoto, come play a race!" She said. Ryuji and Ann kept going, competing for second place.

"I'm… Not much of good at games, especially racing games. I'd probably be awful." Makoto said. Akira glanced over at her, raising a sceptical eyebrow.

"But this is the new Marty Kart game!" Futaba cried. Makoto smiled at her, then jumped slightly as Ann let out a triumphant yell.

"Yes! Second place!" Ann cried. Ryuji huffed and crossed his arms.

"That was bull, you just hit me with a blue bell at the last second!" Ryuji shouted. Ann ignored him still basking in her triumph of second place. Makoto mused to herself that they must've given up on beating Futaba a while ago and now just competed for second.

"You know…" Akira started "This one let's you ride on motorbikes as well as karts…" Akira said. Makoto glanced at him, mouth open slightly.

"Motorbikes too…?" She asked. As she was thinking of the possibilities, Makoto didn't even notice Akira and Futaba share a grin and a thumbs up.

* * *

Akira glanced over at Makoto from his spot on the bed. It was certainly a sight to behold. Her tongue was sticking out in sheer concentration, and her entire body moved with the controller as she took tight turns. Though she still had no chance of beating Futaba, Ann and Ryuji looked on in horror as, sat upon a motorbike that took her 15 minutes to choose, the Queen of the Phantom Thieves tore through the virtual race track.

"I… I can do it, I'm in second place!" Ann shouted as the finish line neared. Watching the map though, Akira saw Makoto was on her tail. She swerved to hit an item box, and he couldn't help but be slightly scared by the look of intensity in her eyes as she awaited the item. Finally, it landed on a green bell, an item that had to be thrown and expertly aimed.

"Ha, you can't do anything with that!" Ann shouted. Makoto's eyes only narrowed. Akira recognised the look of intense thought in her eyes, she must be calculating trajectory and… Makoto launched the green bell, angling it in a way that seemed nonsensical. Ann let out a triumphant cry, assured in her victory.

"Heh." Makoto laughed. Akira couldn't help but grin at her confidence. The bell bounced off an angle on the wall, launching itself in the complete opposite direction… Straight into Ann's kart.

"W- _what?!"_ Ann cried out. Makoto swerved around the corner, over taking Ann, and blasting through the finish line, taking second place.

"That's so unfair!" Ann cried as, letting out another mortified cry as Ryuji overtook her at the last second, finally catching up.

"Heh, sucks, don't it?" Ryuji bragged.

"You still all lost to Futaba, though…" Morgana mumbled from the bed, glancing over at the ruckus. Makoto placed the controller on the floor and glanced over at Futaba.

"That really was fun!" Makoto said, smilin. Futaba nodded enthusiastically.

"That was amazing, Makoto! Man, if I gave you a crash course training camp, we could make a pro gamer out of you!" Futaba cried.

"Only if the game involved motorbikes in some form." Akira chuckled. Makoto brushed her hair back with a confident smile.

"I don't know about going pro, but we should play together again, Futaba." Makoto said.

"Oh, then let's do it now, another round, another round!" Futaba said. Ryuji and Ann glanced toward each other.

"So, we'll get a chance to settle this." Ryuji said.

"Prepare to be destroyed, Sakamoto." Ann growled, though she was trying to stifle a grin as she said it. Makoto looked back at Akira.

"Want to take my place?" Makoto asked. Akira shook his head.

"Not at all, keep going." Akira said. Makoto smiled at him, a mixture of warmth and giddy excitement that she got to have another race. Akira couldn't suppress a genuine smile. As Makoto turned back, Akira noticed Morgana was looking at him.

"What?" Akira asked, the smile still on his face.

"Mwehehehe." Morgana giggled. Akira rolled his eyes, and sat up to get a better look at the race.

* * *

After about an hour, in which Akira finally tagged in and raced against Makoto, which led to a very close match where she managed to inch out victory by what had to be milliseconds, Futaba stood up.

"Right! Movie time!" She proclaimed. Akira nodded, standing up and going to grab the DvD she'd left on the counter.

"Oh, we're watching a movie as well?" Makoto asked. Ann nodded.

"Yup. Futaba just bought it. Said it would be "more fun to watch it together." Ann said. Akira opened the DvD, getting the disk out and placed it into the DvD player.

"We're short on space now. Ryuji, help me move the couch over." Akira said. Ryuji nodded and stood, going on one side of the couch. Akira went to the other, and nodded his thanks as Ann and Makoto started moving the chairs to make room.

"So, who get's the couch." Morgana asked.

"Oooh, good question." Ann said.

"Should we play rock paper scissors to decide or something?" Makoto asked.

"Hey, it's Akira's place, so he should get one of the seats." Ryuji said. Everyone nodded in agreement to that.

"Oooh, cuddling on a couch during a horror movie, a classic teen situation!" Futaba said.

"Horror...?" Makoto whispered. Akira, Ann and Ryuji all seemed to click at once.

"Oh… Yeah, it's a horror movie." Akira said. Makoto looked at him, her eyes wide.

"I-I…. see…" Makoto said. Futaba clenched her fists in excitement.

"Not just ANY horror movie! They actually put a warning on the box to not watch it if you have any heart conditions!" Futaba said.

"Hm… I think Makoto should get the couch spot next to Akira…" Ann said. Ryuji nodded in agreement.

"Y-yeah… That, err… seems fair." Ryuji said. Akira glanced at the two, they were no doubt remembering _that_ incident at Sojiro's house. Between that and the various times she'd clearly been spooked in Mementos, they all quickly realised that Makoto was not going to enjoy the film.

"O...Okay…" Makoto said. Akira took his place on the couch, with Makoto sitting on his left. The couch was angled slightly in front of the TV, with two chairs seating Ann and Futaba to his left, with Morgana sitting on Futaba's lap, and a chair with Ryuji on to the right. Makoto was as stiff as a board even before the movie had turned on.

"Alright, I'm hitting play!"

* * *

Less than 30 minutes into the movie and Makoto was already holding Akira's hand so tightly he was sure bones would soon crush.

"Whoa, she shouldn't go in there!" Futaba cried out, excited. Akira looked around at the others. Morgana was staring at the screen, as wide eyed as a cat could possibly get. Ann had a pillow up to her face, clearly frightened, but was peaking over it. Even Ryuji looked slightly unnerved.

 _Where the hell did Futaba find this thing?_ Akira wondered. He fancied himself having nerves of steel but he had to admit, this movie was creepy. He glanced at Makoto, who was leaning toward him now, her usual shyness replaced with utter fear.

"Oooh, she's going in… She's opening the door, and… And!" Futaba narrated. Akira was knocked back by what happened next. It wasn't the horrific, demonic abomination that appeared on screen and wrenched the poor victim into it's lair. No, it was the terrified scream of the person next to him, Makoto, as she quite literally dived onto him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest.

"OhGodohGodohGodohGod!" Makoto muttered over and over. Akira put one arm around her back, leaving the other awkwardly flopping off the couch. He glanced around to see the others, Futaba was staring at them both with a massive grin. Ann was burying her face in the pillow, no doubt trying to hide from the monster on the screen. Morgana was no longer on Futaba's lap, but has sprinted away and was now hiding under the bed. Ryuji, to his credit, only seemed slightly frightened. Finally getting his wits about him, Akira threw the other arm around Makoto and started soothingly stroking her hair. He glanced at Futaba again, who was still watching.

"I ship it." Futaba said.

"What." Akira said, flatly. Futaba laughed and turned back to the film, where the victim was still being mauled. Akira glanced at Makoto and whispered.

"Want to go downstairs?" He asked. Makoto nodded into his chest.

"We're gonna go down stairs and get a drink." Akira said.

"Want me to pause the movie?" Futaba asked. Akira shook his head as he walked, one arm still over Makoto's shoulder, to the stairs.

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Akira said. Him and Makoto reached the stairs and Akira let her walk in front of him. As they arrived on the main floor, Sojiro was behind the counter cleaning up.

 _No customers, good._ Akira thought to himself.

"Another getaway?" Sojiro asked. Akira shook his head and pointed at Makoto, who still had her head in her hands.

"Oh… Er…. She okay?" Sojiro asked awkwardly.

"Er… I'm fine… Sorry." Makoto muttered.

"Futaba's choice of horror film may have just been a…. tad too strong on the horror aspect." Akira snickered, gesturing for Makoto to take a seat in one of the booths and then taking a seat behind her.

"Ah, I see. Want a coffee, Niijima-san?" Sojiro asked. Makoto shook her head.

"N-no thank you, Sakura-san, thank you for the offer." Sojiro nodded and glanced at the clock.

"Well, business ain't exactly booming today, and all that ruckus upstairs would just drive away customers. Guess I'll close up early." Sojiro said. He grabbed his coat and hat and left with a small wave. Akira saw him flip the sign to closed then walk off.

"I've made a fool of myself again…" Makoto whined. Akira chuckled slightly.

"It is quite a sight to see the fearless Queen of the Phantom Thieves be… well, fearful." Akira said. Makoto simply let out another embarrassed sigh.

"S-sorry, I've just never really been good with scary things, like the dark, or horror films." Makoto sighed.

"Well, we'll just stay down here till it's finished. Futaba said it was really short anyway, just under an hour left of it I think." Akira said.

"N-no, we can go back… Or, you could go back and I'll just-" Makoto began.

"Oh I see, turning down an opportunity to spend some time with me." Akira teased. Makoto went to say something, then blushed slightly.

"You love getting me flustered, don't you?" Makoto said.

"Only because you make it so easy." Akira said. The pair sat together for a while, talking little, just enjoying the comfortable silence. Akira rested his head against Makoto's as she leaned into him.

"Looks like the weather is starting to take a turn." Makoto said. Akira sat up and glanced at her, following her gaze out the window where he could see a grey overcast replacing the blinding light of the sun.

"Huh, maybe we'll get some rain. I hope so, this heat has been killing me." Akira sighed. He'd been sleeping without a blanket recently, but it hadn't really helped much since Morgana still insisted on sleeping on his chest. That cat gave off a surprising amount of body heat.

"I wish I'd just told you I was coming." Makoto sighed.

"Well, I did get the lovely surprise component." Akira said. Makoto glanced up at him.

"So, you really were happy to see me?" Makoto asked. Akira nodded.

"You really would fail a test on love, huh…" Akira snickered. Makoto gently pushed him.

"Come on…" She said, laughing gently.

"I'm glad you came. Watching you slaughter Ann and Ryuji on that game was certainly something t-" Akira stopped talking as Makoto moved up and gently kissed his cheek. He paused momentarily, train of thought utterly halted.

"You were saying…?" Makoto asked, her face the picture of innocence.

"I, er.. Ahem." Akira coughed into his hand to buy some time so he could regain his composure.

"I'm saying you're welcome here anytime, all the time." Akira said. Makoto wrapped an arm around his waist and nuzzled into his shoulder.

"So, I wonder how the film is go-" Makoto began, before a shrill cry that could've only belonged to Ann pierced through the store. The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, and seconds later Ann was rushing down the stairs. Akira immediately felt Makoto pull away from him as Ann came into view.

"No no no! God I can't take that anymore!" Ann cried.

"I think that's your answer." Akira said, looking at Makoto.

"Are you okay, Ann?" Makoto asked. Ann looked at them, and shook her head.

"Whoever made that film must be seriously twisted!" Ann shouted. She moved to the booth the pair were at and sat opposite them.

"Is it okay if I stay down here with you two?" Ann asked. Both Akira and Makoto nodded.

"Of course." Makoto said.

The trio sat together for the remainder of the movie, chatting about various things. Ann complementing Makoto's dress, the pair telling Ann about what had happened with Eiko and the time they went to Mementos alone together.

"You say it was wielding two huge guns and was wrapped in chains?" Ann asked. Akira nodded.

"I've never felt power emanating from a shadow like that before. Even when we've fought the shadows of Palace rulers, it was nothing compared to that thing." Akira said. Makoto nodded in agreement.

"It truly was terrifying. We'll have to be careful exploring Mementos in the future, even more so than we've usually been." Makoto said. They talked a little more, until eventually, Futaba, Ryuji and Morgana came downstairs.

"Futaba, I seriously can't believe you enjoyed that." Ryuji said. Futaba looked positively giddy.

"I know, it was soooo scary right?" Futaba asked.

"You don't seem very scared…" Morgana said, looking slightly spooked.

Ann glanced up at the clock, then outside at the ever worsening weather.

"Right, I gotta head off, got a modeling shoot this evening." Ann said, standing up.

"Yeah, Mom wants me home to help go shopping for a new table for our living room today, too." Ryuji said. Saying their goodbyes, Ann and Ryuji left for the station together.

"Right, guess I'll be heading back home too then!" Futaba said. Akira saw her look at him, then Makoto, and grin widely.

"Mona! Want to come back to mine and watch another movie?" Futaba asked. Morgana glanced up at her, then over to Akira.

"Oh, er, sure! That sounds good, but nothing that scary!" Morgana insisted.

"I'll leave the console here for tonight, Akira, I'll get Sojiro to bring it back with him… Thinking of it, where is Sojiro?" Futaba asked.

"He left a while ago, said he'd close up early 'cause we'd just drive away customers." Akira said. Futaba puffed her cheeks.

"Pssht, he probably just wanted an excuse to head home for the day." Futaba huffed. With that, she waved her goodbyes, and left the café with Morgana. Akira stared out the window, watching them turn the corner. Makoto still sat silent next to him.

 _Just the two of us, huh?_ Akira mused to himself.

"The weather… it's started raining." Makoto said. Akira snapped back to attention and saw that it had indeed started pouring down outside.

"Gotta love the summer rains. Maybe now I'll make it through the rest of the evening without melting." Akira grumbled, causing Makoto to giggle slightly.

"S-so… Everyone's left…" Makoto said. Akira turned to face her, wondering if she was going to suggest she leave.

"Sojiro has closed up shop too, so… I was wondering, would it be okay if I stayed for a while? There's still a good few hours before the last train, so…" Makoto said, casting her eyes downwards. Akira smiled, happy that she'd asked. He knew she'd wanted to stay anyway, but it was nice to hear her say it and not have to ask her.

"You can stay the night if you want." Akira said, already grinning in anticipation of her response.

"D-do you mean it…?" Makoto asked, looking up hopefully. Akira swallowed hard.

"I, er, I mean, yeah, sure. You can." He insisted. He'd expected her to get all flustered and deny it. He didn't think he'd get this far… Suddenly though, Makoto closed her eyes and smiled widely.

"Well, we have school tomorrow, so unless you have a spare girl's Shujin's uniform around here, we're out of luck." Makoto said.

"Huh, well as a matter of fact I do have one that was left here…" Akira said, trailing off, determined to get a response. It seemed to work, Makoto shoved him slightly and crossed her arms.

"Psh, jerk…" She muttered. Akira pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead.

"I'm kidding! Of course I'm kidding. Other than Morgana, Yusuke is the only other person I've shared that room with." Akira said earnestly.

"Yusuke?!" Makoto yelped. Akira nodded enthusiastically.

"He was a cherished guest." Akira said. Makoto shook her head at his silliness and let herself collapse into his embrace.

"So, want to go upstairs?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded her head timidly.

"O-ok…" She said.

The pair left the booth and went upstairs, Makoto helping Akira put the chairs away and moving the couch back. By the time they were done, the rain outside had turned into a torrential storm. Akira found the sound incredibly soothing. He glanced back at Makoto who was looking at him shyly. He took another chance to take her in, how good the dress looked on her, how beautiful she looked, smiling shyly, a very faint hint of red in her cheeks.

"I'm so glad you came today." Akira reaffirmed. Makoto nodded.

"Me too… All I've wanted is just some time together, the two of us alone. With school starting back, and the trip to Hawaii, I was just worried it would be a while. We haven't really had a chance to do anything as a proper couple." Makoto said. Akira stepped toward her, snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her into another kiss. Makoto pushed into it more than he expected, wrapping her arms around him. Akira eventually broke the kiss, smiling down at her.

"We're getting better at that, I'd say. Still need to "study" it more though." Akira said. Makoto shook her head, smiling shyly.

"How can you say things like that with a straight face?" She laughed. Akira kissed her forehead and moved to look out the window at the rain.

"So, what do you want to do?" Akira asked, glancing to his side as Makoto moved to be next to him.

"I'm… Not sure." Makoto said.

"Days like this are perfect for reading. Sitting on the bed, window open, listening to the rain…" Akira said. When he didn't get a response, he looked at Makoto, only to find her staring at him with a big smile.

"I-I… I love doing that too." Makoto said. Akira nodded, not at all surprised. Suddenly, an idea clicked.

"You got a book with you?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded. She hurried over to her bag, pulling out the sci-fi novel she'd packed.

"I don't get a lot of chances to do leisure reading lately, but I've been following this series since I was a kid, and it only came out a few days ago. It's one of my favourites, it's about a man who gets chosen to represent humanity in a giant, multi-race galactic federation a-... Hey, what's with that grin?!" Makoto asked. Akira shook his head.

"You're just so damn cute. Who knew that Miss President was also such a nerd?" Akira smiled. Makoto glanced aside, flustered.

"I-I'm not, I-" Makoto began. Akira moved forward, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to sit on the bed next to him, wrapping an arm around her.

"So, what do you think? Want to read together?" Akira asked. Makoto nodded, holding her book up to her face to hide the redness of it. Akira smiled, and reached over to his nightstand, grabbing his own book.

"It's a high fantasy piece, written by a Western author. It's about a world where humanity lives on huge floating island, each as big as a small country, with the seats of power being the various city state capitals. They never go down on the surface as they've been told it's inhospitable, but the truth is, er well… Maybe I can get you to read it?" Akira said. Makoto smiled softly.

"See, we can be nerds together." Akira chuckled and moved up the bed, resting his back against the wall, motioning for Makoto to come sit next to him. She did so, taking a moment to get comfortable, which ended up her in snuggling up right next to him, the back of her head resting on his chest.

"Comfy?" Akira asked.

"Y-yes…" Makoto said. Giving her a quick kiss on her head, the both of them began to read, enjoying the comfort of each other's presence and the sound of the heavy rain outside.


End file.
